Baseball: Baranik rolls past Tide in UL’s 6-0 win

Tim Buckley, Daily Advertiser, Mar. 2, 2014

Things may change today, depending on how deep Greg Milhorn goes.

But with the way UL’s starting pitchers threw throughout the week, the life of Ragin’ Cajun relievers lately has largely been one of leisure.

Junior righty threw Carson Baranik struck out four, walked just two and allowed only three hits through 7.1 innings and Matt Plitt closed with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief as No. 10 UL beat No. 21 Alabama 6-0 in front of 4,004 on Saturday on M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field.

It was the 10th straight win for the 10-1 Cajuns, who along with a 4-1 win last Tuesday night at LSU and a 2-0 win Friday night vs. Alabama have lived up to their national billing by winning three in a row against SEC opponents.

UL’s three-game series with the 4-5 Crimson Tide closes today, with Milhorn – who threw all 5.0 innings in the weather-shortened win vs. LSU – going for the Cajuns.

“This series win is real big for us, because now everybody knows that we’re not a joke,” UL first baseman Greg Davis said. “It’s not hype, and they know we’re here to play.”

Davis and shortstop Blake Trahan both had three hits for the Cajuns, who jumped to a 1-0 lead in the first inning when leadoff hitter Caleb Adams walked and Trahan singled him home.

UL tacked on two more as Jace Conrad scored on Adams’ fielder’s choice and Davis, who had doubled down the left-field line, came across on Seth Harrison’s sacrifice fly to right.

It stayed that way until the sixth, when Conrad bunted his way on, Davis singled him to second, Adams was hit to load the bases and Conrad came across on Harrison’s sac fly to left.

It was the start of a 10-hit breakout day for Cajun bats, which mustered just two hits – both singles by Ryan Leonards – in its win Friday night over Alabama starter Spencer Turnbull.

“We were comfortable (Friday night) too; we just faced a good arm (then), and (Saturday) we got all over that guy’s (’Bama starter Justin Kamplain’s) first stuff and came out a lot better.

“They’re doing their job,” Davis added with reference to UL’s starting pitchers. “They’re getting zeroes every inning. And it’s our (UL hitters) job to supply some run support so they can cruise a little longer, and I think we came through with that.”

UL picked up two more runs in the seventh as Michael Strentz scored on Ryan Leonards’ sac fly – Strentz singled and made it all the way to third behind two throwing errors on the same play – and Conrad blasted a solo homer to right.

With those two runs, Baranik said he thought the Cajuns “really kind of shut the door.”

“We felt comfortable once we got up, and we had a few quick innings,” he said. “We had the momentum, and we felt good.”

Baranik (2-0) faced just two batters more than the minimum in his final 5.2 innings, and Plitt retired five of the six batters he faced, including all three in the top of the ninth.

“I was calm,” Baranik said. “Especially after (Friday night’s) win, we had a lot of momentum. I tried to get us off to a good start early, and just tried to have a smooth first inning.”

He did.

And things built from there as Baranik picked up where UL starter Austin Robichaux left off in his complete-game, seven-hit shutout Friday night.

Boosted by those two and Milhorn, UL pitchers have allowed just one run over the last 25 innings.

“Austin threw all three pitches for strikes, and that was big,” Baranik said. “That’s what I really tried to get here and establish early, was getting all three over for strikes.”

“He (Baranik) can command a slider and a changeup and a fastball. So when you’ve got a three-pitch mix, you don’t ever have to get pigeonholed into throwing a fastball,” UL coach Tony Robichaux added. “And he never gets pigeonholed, because anytime he’s behind in the count he can get that slider over – and that’s what he did (Saturday).”

Robichaux threw 128 pitches Friday.

Baranik threw 101, and seemed to know when it was time to go with one out and one on in the eighth.

“Me and (Tony Robichaux) were talking, especially we got the run support, about how we have great guys in the bullpen that really haven’t had much action,” Baranik said. “So when he asked me how I felt, I said, ‘I’m getting kind of tired,’ and we went straight to Plitt, and he did the job.”

That leaves plenty of ready Cajun arms for today, including those of closers Matt Hicks and Reagan Bazar.

“We’ve got (a full bullpen),” Robichaux said, “and (Milhorn) is good to go. He feels good.

“That rain-shortened game (at LSU) actually helps (Milhorn). All we need is for him to get in there and get us off to a good start, and from there we can take over with the bullpen.”