Baseball: Cajuns Double Up Bobcats To Advance To SBC Title Game

TROY, Ala. – After shutting out Texas State earlier in the day, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team got out to an early lead and never looked back as the squad defeated the Bobcats 6-2 on Saturday at Riddle-Pace Field to advance to the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Title game.
 
The win is the fourth straight for the Cajuns (38-21) and fourth of the year against Texas State (24-32-1).
 
Louisiana will face South Alabama tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the championship contest. The SBC championship game appearance is the third straight for the Ragin’ Cajuns as they join South Alabama, Middle Tennessee and Lamar as the only programs in Sun Belt history to accomplish the feat. Louisiana has reached the championship game five times previously and took home tournament titles in 1998 and 2014.
 
"I just think we did a great job today of grinding this out," head coach Tony Robichaux said. "It’s a long day. I don’t think we would be where we are at without the leadership from our five seniors and Thurman behind the plate. Considering dropping that first game the way we did, and them being able to come back they way they have, it just says a lot about our leadership and our guys. And I am proud of them."
 
Starter Will Bacon limited the Bobcats to two runs on six hits in a season-high 6.1 innings. Bacon struck out three and walked two en route to his fifth win of the year.
 
Freshman Dylan Moore made his second appearance of the day in the contest. Moore added 2.2 scorless innings of relief to notch his 11th save of the year and tie the school record set by Matt Hicks in 2013. The right-hander had two strikeouts and two walks in the outing.
 
Lucas Humpal suffered his seventh loss of the year in the contest after giving up five runs (three earned) on six hits in 7.1 innings.
 
The Cajuns edged Texas State in hitting, 9-8. Junior Stefan Trosclair matched his career-high with three hits in the nightcap. Trosclair scored twice and drove in a run.
 
Louisiana jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first thanks to a pair of Texas State errors. With the bases loaded and two outs, left fielder Evan Powell drew a walk from Humpal to get the Cajuns on the board. In the next at bat, Trosclair scored on an error by shortstop Luke Sherley to give the Ragin’ Cajuns a two-run edge.
 
Designated hitter Tyler Girouard increased the advantage to 3-0 in the top of the fourth driving in Trosclair on a ball hit to first. Trosclair reached on a one-out infield single, stole second and then moved to third on a wild pitch.
 
The Bobcats broke into the scoring column in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single to left by right fielder Cory Geisler off of Bacon to make the score 3-1. In the next at bat, second baseman Cedric Vallieres doubled down the line in left to cut the Louisiana lead to one run.
 
After two scoreless innings, the Cajuns got a big hit from catcher Nick Thurman in the top of the eighth as he drove a two-run double into the gap in right center to put Louisiana up 5-2.
 
Trosclair added an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a two-out single to left.
 
Texas State put two on in the ninth with one out, but Moore would strikeout Geisler and then induce a ground out by left fielder Granger Studdard to end the contest.
 
For updates and info on Louisiana baseball, follow the squad on twitter @CajunsBaseball or check RaginCajuns.com.