LAFAYETTE, La. – For a majority of two straight games, Sam Houston kept No. 6 Louisiana's potent offense at bay. The Ragin' Cajuns bats awoke in the series finale to the tune of 17 hits in a 13-3 win against the Bearkats at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field in Lafayette.
“It was a great experience for us coming over here and playing a top 10 team,” second-year head coach Matt Deggs said. “They are a weathered group and they respond very well. If you give them an inch, they will take a mile and I think that's what you saw over the course of the series.”
Louisiana (3-0) scored in five innings, including a five-run fifth, after Sam Houston (0-3) had twice cut the deficit to one with single runs in the fourth and fifth frames. The Bearkats committed four errors on the day, the most since May 8 last season at Houston Baptist.
“We're in a 4-3 game and we don't take the out there at second and we aren't able to take a double play and the floodgates opened,” Deggs said. “On the weekend, if you can take back two or three innings, we're right there with them. We're young but this was a good test for our guys. We didn't just put them in the deep end, we threw them in the deep end.”
As was the case Saturday, UL leadoff batter Joe Robbins set the tone, starting the game with a triple to left. The hit was one of four in an opening frame that saw the Ragin' Cajuns score three times, a taxing day for Sam Houston starter Cody Brown (0-1), who lasted two innings, allowed five hits and two earned runs.
In the third, Lance Miles reached on a hit by pitch and moved to third on a Taylor Beene double. He came around to score on the Riley McKnight groundout to deep shortstop, at the time cutting the lead to 3-1. One inning later, Robie Rojas picked the right time for his first hit, scoring Zach Smith, who reached on a one-out double down the right field line, and making it 3-2.
The Cajuns struck back for a two-out rally in their half of the fourth. UL's Robbins led off the frame with a walk and was followed by two straight singles from Brenn Conrad and Stefan Trosclair, to push the lead back to two at 4-2.
The Kats manufactured a run in the fifth thanks to three hits. Beene led off the frame with a single to left and moved to second on a well-place Riley McKnight sacrifice bunt. Then, Bryce Johnson extended his hit streak to 16 games with an RBI single up the middle.
However, the Cajuns followed up with four hits and five runs of their own, including a pair of hits from Kyle Clement who finished the day with a school-record tying 5-for-5 performance along with six RBI. Sam Houston went through three pitchers in the fifth and seven total for the day.
Meanwhile, Louisiana starter and highly-touted freshman Nick Lee tossed four innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs while striking out three and walking two. The Bearkats teed off for three hits in as many innings off reliever Eric Carter, who allowed one run and struck out three.
“We have a resilient group,” Deggs said. “This is a group that likes to work. We'll continue to improve. This is a process for us.”
On the mound, Sam Houston's Austin Woyt proved to be a bright spot, pitching the final 1 2-3 innings, striking out four and allowing a pair of hits in his freshman debut. Alongside a pair of hits from Beene and Smith, the Kats are hoping to draw from the positives entering the upcoming week.
“There are a lot of moving parts right now,” Deggs said. “The lineup that we played this weekend is probably not the lineup in April and May. There was a lot of us identifying a pinpointing. Until you get until an actual game situation in a hostile environment, you really don't know where you're at. I look at the series with mixed emotions.”
Sam Houston opens home play on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against UTSA. The game will be the 300th career at Don Sanders Stadium with the Bearkats owning an impressive 194-105 record. Tickets are on sale now for the opener with grandstand seating priced at $8 and general admission available for $6 by calling (936) 294-1729 or visiting GoBearkats.com.
“It will be great to get back on the field and get to play in front of our fans, friends and family. There is a lot of comfort and familiarity there. It's a brand new week. We'll take it one game at a time. UTSA will bring in a good club but we'll be ready to go.”
