Baseball: Cajuns Claim Both Games Of Doubleheader to Sweep Warhawks

MONROE, La.  – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team claimed both games of a doubleheader on a wet Saturday to complete the sweep of ULM at Warhawk Field. The Cajuns won the first game 5-4 before rallying to defeat the Warhawks 6-4 in the final game of the series.
 
The victories clinch the third seed in the 2015 Sun Belt Tournament for the Ragin’ Cajuns (34-20, 18-11 Sun Belt) as they will face sixth seeded Texas State Bobcats at 4 p.m. on Wednesday. Louisiana also increased its win streak against ULM (25-29, 12-18 Sun Belt) to 16 straight games and became the only team to sweep the Warhawks this season.
 
"We are trying to get our guys going, and it was good to see our bullpen come through for us," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "I’m proud of our guys to come back from what we lost after last season to do what we’ve been able to do. We needed to come down here and get guys going, and that’s what we did. We also got some mental toughness training with the rain delays. We could have packed it in or lost focus, but we came out and fought back to get the sweep."
 
Reliever Will Bacon earned the victory in game one to improve to 4-2 on the year after holding ULM to one run on three hits in 3.1 innings with a strikeout.
 
Colton Lee (2-3) claimed the win in the nightcap tossing 2.2 scoreless innings in relief with a walk and a strikeout. Starter Wyatt Marks was outstanding taking a no-hitter through four innings in game two before leaving the game after the second rain delay of the contest.
 
ULM starter Trey Setzer (6-3) took the loss in game one as he allowed five runs on seven hits in 6.2 innings, while Josh Leone was saddled with the loss in the series finale after giving up three runs on three hits in 2.0 innings.
 
Offensively, second baseman Stefan Trosclair went 5-for-9 on the day with five RBI and was a double short of hitting for the cycle in game two. Evan Powell, Kyle Clement and Greg Davis each had three hits in the doubleheader for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
 
Powell gave the Cajuns a 1-0 lead in the top of the second as he lifted a two-out solo homer off of the scoreboard in left center off of Setzer.
 
ULM got on the board in the bottom of the third plating two runs on an RBI double by Daton Todd and an RBI single by Kodie Tidwell to take a 2-1 edge.
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns pulled even in the top of the fifth when Powell scored on a Setzer wild pitch with two outs. Powell reached on a one-out single. He then advanced to second on a wild pitch before stealing third.
 
The Warhawks answered in the bottom half of the fifth as Tidwell singled home his second run of the game to put ULM back in front 3-2.
 
Louisiana evened the contest for the second time at 3-all in the top of the sixth on a two-out RBI single by catcher Nick Thurman up the middle. 
 
In the top of the seventh, the Cajuns regained the lead 4-3 on an RBI double to center by Clement. Trosclair added to the lead in the next as bat driving in Clement on a single to right field.
 
Danny Springer pulled ULM within a run in the bottom of the eighth on an RBI single to right, but that’s as close as the Warhawks would get as reliever Dylan Moore came on in the eighth and posted a four-out save for his ninth of the year.
 
In the second game, Trosclair gave the Ragin’ Cajuns an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first with a two-run homer over the fence in left. The home run was the 13th of the season for Trosclair.
 
The game would come to a halt in the top of the third due to weather. After waiting an hour and 16 minutes, the two teams would get into the fifth before a second weather delay stopped the game in the top of the fifth.
 
The Warhawks pulled even in the bottom half of the fifth scoring two runs on two hits and a balk.
 
Nathan Pugh put ULM ahead 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth on a two-run single to left.
 
Louisiana would answer in the top of the seventh scoring four runs on three hits and an error to take a 6-4 edge. After the Cajuns loaded the bases with no outs to start the inning, Clement cut the Warhawks lead to 4-3 on a sac fly to deep right. In the next at bat, Trosclair tripled to center to drive in two runs and scored the fourth run of the inning on a throwing error by Tidwell.
 
Sophomore reliever Reagan Bazar posted a perfect ninth for the Cajuns to close out the game and earn his first save of the season.
 
For updates and info on Ragin’ Cajuns baseball, follow the team on twitter @CajunsBaseball or check RaginCajuns.com.