Playing catcher on a team he wasn’t even on at the start of this season, or all last season, Adam Todd says he simply wants to be "a wall" behind the plate.

Make that a wall with an arm.

Todd had a hand in all three outs in the top of the ninth inning Saturday night, throwing out two runners and tagging out the other to help lead the UL baseball team to a 1-0 win over Western Kentucky in front of 2,208 at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.

The win snapped the Ragin’ Cajuns’ eight-game losing streak and tied the Sun Belt Conference weekend series at 1-1.

Game 3 in the series is at 1 p.m. today.

"That’s awesome," relief pitcher Caleb Kellogg said of the defensive effort by Todd, who played seven games for UL as a freshman in 2010 and was called in from the classroom late last month to fill an injury-prompted void at backup catcher.

Kellogg, pitching for the first time since he got the win March 17 against UL Monroe, and starter Chris Griffitt, who left after rolling an ankle, combined on a six-hitter that marked UL’s third shutout this season and first at home since an 11-0 win over UL Monroe on March 20, 2011.

"We protected the hitters," said Cajuns coach Tony Robichaux, whose club improved to 14-16 overall and 4-7 in Sun Belt games.

"We haven’t been scoring a lot of runs lately, so we knew our pitchers had to protect our hitters. Griffitt came out and did that. "» (And) I can’t say enough about Kellogg."

UL took its one-run lead into the ninth behind a

sacrifice fly to right by senior centerfielder Brian Bowman that scored senior leftfielder Daniel Nichols in the third.

That was the only damage the Cajuns could muster against Hilltoppers starter Tim Bado (2-4), who struck out eight and walked just one while throwing a complete-game five-hitter.

Griffitt (4-2), meanwhile, struck out eight, walked two and allowed five hits while going 6.1 innings, his longest stint in six starts and eight appearances this season.

The junior lefty, a transfer from Bossier Parish Community College, had gone 5.2 innings in his previous three starts.

"All I try to do is give my all, to give my team the best chance to win," said Griffitt, who pitched despite a finger blister. "I just get out there and give everything I got."

When Griffitt exited with one in the seventh, Kellogg — who had been out with a rotator cuff injury — inherited one runner.

"I’ve been waiting for this for a while," Kellogg said. "Once I got out there, it felt like I never even was out."

The sophomore righty promptly struck out the first two batters he faced, then get out of the eighth despite walking one Hilltopper batter and allowing another a double.

"He got some big outs," Robichaux said of Kellogg, a DeQuincy High product.

"He’s a difference-maker that we’ve been missing the last two weekends. When your difference-maker is not out there on the field that affects your team, and it showed up the last two series."

UL’s biggest outs, though, came only with some help from Todd, who was making his second straight start in place of the injured Chris Sinclair (back spasms) and was asked back because would-be backup Michael Strentz is out after Tommy John surgery.

"He’s a good kid," Kellogg said of Todd, "and he deserves to be back there."

After Kellogg walked Blake Crabtree, pinch-hitter Jordan Cessna put down a sacrifice bunt. Kellogg fielded it, but his fielder’s choice throw sailed over the second-base bag, giving WKU runners at first and third with no out.

Western Kentucky’s Steve Hodgins then put down another bunt, and this time Kellogg went home with his toss.

Crabtree slid around Todd’s tag attempt, but he didn’t touch the plate, and Todd got him with his second chance. Todd immediately threw to third, and Logan Preston got Cessna there to complete the 1-3-5 double-play.

With two now out, Kellogg faced Ivan Hartle.

But before Hartle’s at-bat was done, with count 1-2, Hodgins took off trying to steal second — and UL’s second baseman tagged out the Hilltopper with Todd’s throw to end the game.

"I was just trying to stay tough for my team, be a wall, and I just kind of reacted," said Todd, a Carencro High product who added "my friends on the team" are the reason he answered Robichaux’s call to return. "It’s instincts, more than anything."

And thanks largely to those instincts, UL’s losing skid — its longest since dropping 10 straight in 2003 — is halted.

"It means a lot to break the streak," Griffitt said.

"Rather than fall apart," Todd added, "we came together as a team these last few losses."

Lagniappe

Kellogg was credited with his third save of the season. "» Left-handed hitters are 0-for-17 against Griffitt in his last two outings, including 0-for-8 Saturday night. "» Griffitt said he doesn’t expect to miss his next start because of his ankle. "» With Tyler Girouard (quadriceps) still injured, Preston played third over Jordan Bourque. "» UL shortstop Ryan Leonards moved up from seventh to second in the order but struck out in all four of his appearances at the plate.

Western Kentucky at UL

GAME: 1 p.m. today at Tigue Moore Field.
RECORDS: WKU 13-18, 5-6; UL 14-16, 4-7.
WHERE: M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field
RADIO: KPEL 1420 AM, KPEL 96.5 FM
PITCHING MATCHUP: UL Jordan Harrison (2-1, 3.16 ERA) or Joe Zimmermann (0-1, 7.31 ERA) vs. WKU Taylor Haydel (2-2, 1.93 ERA)