LAFAYETTE, La. – Louisana's Brandon Young threw a went the distance and kept the Sam Houston State offense at bay as the Ragin' Cajuns evened up the weekend series with a 1-0 win at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams received stellar efforts from their starters with the Bearkats' (6-3)
Dominic Robinson being on his game as well. The senior pitched into the seventh, allowing just three singles in 6.1 innings with strikeouts and no walks, but the Cajuns (3-8) managed to get two of those singles in the seventh inning to help aid in the only run of the game for either side.
Young, meanwhile, was in control from the get-go. The righty allowed just three hits of his own and walked only one batter, punching out 11 on 113 total pitches. He only allowed one runner past second base all afternoon in tossing the first shutout by a Cajun pitcher since Evan Guillory in 2016.
Jack Rogers,
Trent Touchet and
Erick Davila all had a single for the Kats, but Rogers was the only player in the Bearkat lineup to finish the day without a strikeout against Young.
For UL, Tremaine Spears had two of the three singles by Cajun hitters, second coming in the decisive seventh inning. Ben Fitzgerald picked the game's lone RBI on a ground ball that scored Sebastian Toro.
But Toro was more of a difference behind the plate, throwing out three Bearkats on the bases, including two in the ninth inning. The Kats had one final chance against Young when a 1-out error on Spears allowed
Anthony MacKenzie to reach base. But Toro backpicked MacKenzie off of first and then after a walk to
Colton Cowser, Toro threw him out trying to steal second base with Rogers at the plate for the game's final out.
Both pitchers had things on cruise control in the early going, but it was the Cajuns who threatened first when a Bearkat error to the leadoff man in the fourth gave UL something to work with. They were able to work him around to third base on a bunt and a grounder and looked to have a run on the board when the ball left the bat of infielder Tremaine Spears; however, a spectacular diving grab by Cowser in the right-center field gap saved the run, keeping it a scoreless game.
Both pitchers continued to cruise with the Kats not getting a true scoring chance against Young until the seventh when Rogers singled with one away and worked his way to third on a stolen base and an error. But Young was able to get a strikeout of
Christian Smith to leave Rogers stranded.
Robinson gave up just one hit through six innings, but a pair of soft singles to open up the seventh proved to be just what the Cajuns needed.
Cole Wesneski entered and got an out, but a walk loaded the bases and set things up for Fitzgerald, who grounded out softly to second base to bring home Toro for the game's only run.
The Kats will take another crack at taking the series in Lafayette on Sunday when they play the Cajuns in the series finale. First pitch is set for 1:00 p.m. with true freshman
Caleb Cannon set to get the start.
