Baseball: Toppers clinch series; Hawkins breaks record for career HRs in loss

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • May 10, 2009

The same issues that hampered UL on Friday showed up again Saturday against Sun Belt Conference leader Western Kentucky.

Defensive lapses and an inability to generate any offense doomed the seventh-place Cajuns in a 4-2 loss on Senior Day in the second game of their final home series of the season.

After finishing with four errors for the fourth time in five games and only six hits, UL suffered its sixth consecutive loss. The loss at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field spoiled a game for the Cajuns (21-27-1, 10-15 Sun Belt) in which senior Scott Hawkins became the program’s all-time home run leader, hitting a solo shot in the seventh inning for his 40th career bomb.

"The bottom line is this game was a lot like last night," said UL coach Tony Robichaux, whose team had as many hits as errors (four) in Friday’s 6-3 loss. "If you’re not going to score runs, you’ve got to play better defense."

Meanwhile, reigning league tournament champion WKU (37-12, 21-5) played flawless defense and used an opportunistic offense to score three unearned runs. The victory helped the Hilltoppers win their first series against UL at Moore Field and extend their winning streak to nine games.

WKU’s magic number to clinch its first Sun Belt regular season title is two games.

"The difference in that game was defense," WKU coach Chris Finwood said. "I think that was easy to see. Our kids made the plays and they (UL) made a couple of mistakes that cost them."

UL starter Justin Robichaux (1-3) took his third hard-luck loss of the season despite throwing seven strong innings. The junior right-hander scattered seven hits, walked one batter and struck out three but allowed three unearned runs due to errors.

"As a pitcher, you have to be mentally tougher than the situation," Justin Robichaux said. "You’ve got to overcome whatever happens, whether it goes your way or against you."

UL’s defense put Robichaux in a tough spot all afternoon.

The trouble started when a throwing error by UL shortstop Greg Fontenot in the second inning allowed lead-off batter Chad Cregar to reach safely. After Matt Rice singled and Terrence Dayleg struck out, Kes Carter stroked a single to score Cregar for a 1-0 lead.

In the top of the fourth, another throwing error by Fontenot on a ball hit by Carter extended the inning. Two runs later scored when a ball hit by Matt Payton was dropped in left field by Alex Fuselier.

UL got its first hit of the game off WKU starter Matt Ridings on Matt Goulas’ single up the middle in the bottom of the fourth. The Cajuns did not score until Hawkins hit the first pitch he saw in the seventh over the wall in left field to move past Ron Robicheaux as UL’s all-time home run leader.

"It took me four years, and it is a great accomplishment," Hawkins said. "There were a lot of guys who maybe if they had played four years could have broken it before me."

Dayleg’s RBI single in the top of the eighth off UL reliever Greg Harmon tacked on another run for WKU, but the Cajuns mounted a charge in the bottom of the inning. After third baseman Tyler Benzel hit a single to open the inning, the sophomore came around to score on Will Long’s RBI double down the right field line against WKU reliever Bart Carter.

Bart Carter hit the next batter, Goulas, to load the bases with one out with the middle of the lineup coming to the plate. He somehow escaped the jam by striking out Les Smith and forcing Hawkins to pop up to second base for the final outs of the inning.

UL first baseman/catcher Chad Keefer opened the ninth with a double, but Bart Carter retired Kyle Bostick, Benzel and Jon Masch to end the game in disappointing fashion for the Cajuns.

Ridings (7-1) earned the win after holding UL to two runs and four hits in 7.1 innings. Carter notched his third save of the season with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.

After entering the weekend seventh in the league standings, UL will try to avoid the sweep in the series finale at 11 a.m. today in a Mother’s Day game. The Cajuns will go with either righty Matt Lackie, lefty Greg Wilborn or righty Mike Cook against WKU righty Shane Cameron. The top eight teams advance to the league tournament, which is May 20-23 in Troy, Ala.

"Our biggest issue all year has been mental toughness," coach Robichaux said. "Every problem yesterday, today and throughout the season is because of a lack of mental toughness.

"We’ve let a lot of the season wear us down. We’re running out of time."