Baseball: Complete effort lifts No. 22 UL past Tulane

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, April 12, 2016

 

Joe Robbins homers against Tulane in UL’s 9-2 win Tuesday night(Photo: SCOTT CLAUSE/THE ADVERTISER)

 

 

Dependable defense. Persuasive pitching. Helpful hitting.

The No. 22 UL baseball team had the big three all working in its favor Tuesday night, and it showed in a 9-2 non-conference win over No. 22 Tulane at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.

The win was the 10th in 12 games and fifth in a row at home for the 22-11 Ragin’ Cajuns, who continue with their second outing in a stretch of seven straight non-conference games when they visit Southland Conference-member New Orleans Wednesday night.

Derek Herrington established the tone defensively for the Cajuns early on, diving to catch Stephen Alemais’ third-inning line drive to right field before doubling up Jake Willsey at second base to keep UL’s lead intact 2-0.

“I think it won us the game, to be honest with you,” UL coach Tony Robichaux said of the play. “You look for something in a game early that usually can set the tempo, or sway things back to you. That gets under his glove and goes to the wall, who knows?

“Yet, it’s a double-play … and it builds the pitcher’s momentum, and it builds our crowd,” he added. “Derek Herrington is a good outfielder, and that’s why he’s out there, is to help our pitching staff.”

Evan Guillory (3-3) and Eric Carter got it done on the mound for the Cajuns on Tuesday, with Guillory striking out six over 7.0 innings and Carter fanning five in his 2.0 innings of relief work.

Guillory — coming off a one-hit, complete-game shutout of Northwestern State one week earlier — did allow American Athletic Conference-member Tulane one earned run in the fifth and one in the seventh on Hunter Hope’s home run.

But by the time of the solo shot, UL already led 9-1.

“This is a good-hitting team,” Robichaux said of the 21-11 Green Wave. “Guillory really, really did a good job, because they can score in bunches on a night like (Tuesday) with the wind blowing out.

“He kept them down all night,” the Cajun coach added, “and Eric Carter did a great job, and our hitters did an exceptional job.”

After Stefan Trosclair reached on an error by Alemais, Joe Robbins — hitting out of the five hole, down a few spots — homered to left off a 0-2 offering from J.P. France to make it 2-0 UL in the bottom of the second inning.

It was Robbins’ team-leading eighth homer of the season, and his first since March 25.

The Cajun third baseman finished the night 3-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBI.

“I just shortened my swing up a little bit and kind of started swinging at more fastballs,” he said. “I couldn’t ask for anything more than a 3-for-4 night, you know?”

Brian Mills’ RBI-double down the line in left scored Herrington and Robbins laced a two-RBI single to left to put UL ahead 5-0 in the third.

“I’m just hitting the ball well, getting a good swing,” Mills said.

Is he ever.

Mills followed with a two-RBI past Hope at third in the fourth, which combined with Sunday’s two-homer, six-RBI in a win Sunday at Georgia Southern gave the senior nine RBI in two games and 24 on the season, tying him with Robbins for the team lead.

UL tacked on two more in the fifth, when Trosclair scored on Nick Thurman’s sacrifice fly and Robbins came across on a wild pitch.

“We’re swinging the bat and hitting the ball hard again,” Robichaux said.

“That’s been our biggest issue throughout the year. But we did that going away this last weekend (in a 2-1 series win at Georgia Southern), and we brought it into here, so hopefully we can bring it again (Wednesday night) to New Orleans.”

Carter, meanwhile, got out of a two-on, one-out jam in the eighth, then retired the side in order, including strikeouts of the last two batters he faced, to end it.

It was a good start to what Robichaux sees as a critical stretch for the Cajuns, who are in the midst of playing 10-of-13 on the road.

UL has a three-game series with Southeastern Louisiana this weekend.

“We told everybody we need all decks on hand,” Robichaux said.

“We’ve got to pitch the best we’ve pitched this week, we’ve got to play the best we’ve played on the road this week, we’ve got play good defense, we’ve got to swing the bat and we’ve got to be consistent for us to be able to make this a special week.”

No. 22 UL (22-11) at UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS (18-14)

   WHAT: Midweek non-conference game

   WHERE: Maestri Field, New Orleans

   WHEN: 6 p.m. Wednesday

   RADIO: KPEL 1420 AM with Jay Walker

   TV/OTHER: None

   PITCHING MATCHUP: TBA