Baseball: Cajuns lose in walk-off fashion in thrilling Game 1

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, June 6, 2015

 

UL Ragin’ Cajuns infielder Greg Davis (20) returns to the dugout after a walk-off home run in the 9th inning by LSU Tigers outfielder Chris Sciambra (5) to give the Tigers a 4-3 victory in an NCAA Super Regional game at Alex Box Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, June 6, 2015.(Photo: Paul Kieu, The Advertiser)

 

PHOTO GALLERY: NCAA Super Regional: UL vs. LSU Game 1

 

BATON ROUGE – They did it once in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, and twice in the NCAA Houston Regional.

A final-inning win, however, was not in the cards for the Ragin’ Cajuns in Game 1 of their best-of-three NCAA Baton Rouge Super Regional against No. 1-ranked LSU on Saturday night at Alex Box Stadium.

Not with Tigers designated hitter Chris Sciambra delivering a walk-off home run to right field off of Cajuns reliever Will Bacon with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning, giving the No. 2 national seed LSU a 4-3 win over No. 16-ranked UL.

But it wasn’t for lack of trying by the 44-22 Cajuns, who beat South Alabama 5-1 with Stefan Trosclair’s 12-inning grand slam to win the Sun Belt tourney, scored five runs in the ninth to beat Rice 7-6 in Houston and scored two in the bottom of the ninth to beat Houston 2-1 one week ago.

Down 3-1 in the eighth Saturday, Stefan Trosclair reached on a two-out infield single, Tyler Girouard walked and Evan Powell doubled in Trosclair to cut the LSU lead in half.

And Sciambra’s homer came only after UL pinch-hitter Brenn Conrad’s solo homer to the same general area in right tied the game at 3-3 with no outs in the top of the ninth, chasing Tigers starter Alex Lange.

"Obviously it’s a big moment in the ballgame, tying the game up in the ninth," Conrad said. "But, I mean, they came out and responded. That’s the biggest thing about baseball, is responding."

It was the first homer of the season for Conrad, who couldn’t start at third because of a hamstring injury.

But it wouldn’t be enough as LSU (52-10) handed UL just its fourth walkoff loss of the season.

The same two teams play again at 6:05 p.m. Sunday on ESPN2, with UL at least going in knowing that in its three prior Super Regionals – 1999, 2000 and 2014 – the team that won Game 1 did not advance to the College World Series.

UL’s one and only CWS trip came in 2000, when it bounced back at South Carolina.

"Brenn … got the big lick, tied it up," UL coach Tony Robichaux said, "and their kid came out and did what a great team does – he stepped up and got a pitch that he could get out of the ballpark, and he got it out.

"It came down to one pitch. We had a lot of opportunities. … I’m really proud of how our true freshman came into here and slowed the game down, settled in and kept us out of our bullpen."

That freshman, Wyatt Marks walked the first man he faced, Mark Laird, and after Laird advanced to second on a passed ball, the second man Marks threw to, Jake Fraley, doubled to right to put LSU up 1-0.

Fraley kept his bat hot in the third, smoking a one-out, two-run homer to right after Laird struck out but reached on a passed ball.

Kyle Clement singled in the first for UL, Dylan Butler doubled and later reached third in the third, and Greg Davis doubled to the centerfield wall in the fifth, but with Lange throwing nasty stuff early, especially with his curveball, all were stranded.

LSU threatened again in the fifth, but Joe Robbins – who earlier had a highlight play at third – saved one run with a 5-2 out and another when he ended the inning by robbing Conner Hale of a double down the line.

UL got a little something going in the top of the sixth, as Robbins and Clement both singled and Girouard drove in Robbins with a two-out line drive to shallow centerfield to make it 3-1 Tigers.

Evan Powell grounded into a fielder’s choice, though, keeping the Cajuns from coming any closer for the moment.

Butler doubled again in the seventh, and he stole third with two outs, but he was stranded when Lange fielded a low Blake Trahan comebacker to the mound for a 1-3 out.

Butler’s second double marked the first time this season Lange, a freshman, has given up three extra-base hits this season.

"He (Lange) has got a great breaking ball," said Butler, UL’s No. 9 hitter. "My approach was to sit the breaking ball and hunt the fastball, and luckily I got two good pitches to hit."

Marks, meanwhile, kept LSU at bay with a stretch of seven straight outs from the last in the fifth through the seventh, and Bacon (6-3) kept the Tigers scoreless in the eighth.

"It took a little while to get settled in," said Marks, who allowed just four hits over his 7.0 innings. "But once I did, I just had to make my pitches."

He did just that after giving up the early three runs, but it would not be enough as the Cajuns went down to the wire yet again.

"It’s not how you draw them up," LSU coach Paul Mainieri said, "but we will take it. I’ve been around this game for a long time, and I’ve seen just about everything. That was one for the ages there."

UL vs. LSU

WHAT: NCCA Baton Rouge Super Regional. Tigers lead series 1-0 in a best of three format.

WHO: No. 2 national seed LSU (52-10) vs. No. 3 regional seed UL (44-20)

WHERE: Alex Box Stadium, Baton Rouge

WHEN: Sunday, first pitch is scheduled for 6:05 p.m.

TV: ESPN2 Sunday, TBA Monday (if necessary) with Adam Amin (play-by-play), ex-LSU and MLB pitcher Ben McDonald (analysis) and Kaylee Hartung (reporting).

RADIO: KPEL 1420 AM and KPEL 96.5 FM with Jay Walker

AT STAKE: Winner advances to Omaha for the College World Series

MATCHUP: UL’s Gunner Leger (6-4, 2.87 ERA) vs. LSU’s Jared Poche (8-1, 3.05 ERA)