Baseball: Cajuns Roll No. 25 Alabama 14-2 To Take Series

HOOVER, Ala. – Freshman left-hander Gunner Leger was brilliant on the mound as the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team rolled No. 25 Alabama 14-2 in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at the Hoover Met.
 
Leger held the Crimson Tide (7-4) to one run on three hits in eight innings with five strikeouts and did not allow a free pass. The Lake Charles, La., native retired 14 straight batters at one point and faced only two more than the minimum over the final seven frames to improve to 2-0 on the year.
 
"Our team is continuing to press forward to try and become a good ball club," head coach Tony Robichaux said, "Gunner came out today and pitched well and our hitters came alive and did their job. We had a complete effort from our team, and that’s what we need to be a good team."
 
Louisiana (6-5) outhit Alabama 14-4 in the contest led by junior Blake Trahan who tied a career high with four hits and had a career-best four RBI while scoring three runs with two doubles. Brenn Conrad, Greg Davis, Nick Thurman and Kyle Clement each had two hits for the Cajuns. Davis had three RBI and a home run on the day scoring twice.
 
"This series was huge for us," Robichaux said. "We knew we had a young team and we scheduled a series like this because we needed to get weathered. Win, lose or draw today, we were going to come back a better baseball team, but I am glad to get a series win against a very good program in Alabama."
 
Geoffrey Bramblett was handed his first loss of the year after starting the season 2-0 for Bama. Bramblett was run from the game after four innings of work giving up six runs (five earned) on six hits with six strikeouts and two walks.
 
Davis gave the Cajuns an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first as he launched his first home run of the year over the wall in left center.
 
The Crimson Tide answered in the bottom half of the first when Casey Hughston tripled in Mikey White to even the contest at 1-all.
 
In the top of the second, Robbins gave Louisiana the lead back sending a 1-2 pitch through the left side of the infield to score Derek Herrington to make the score 2-1. Herrington drew a walk with two outs in the inning and then moved to third on a Clement single to right center.
 
With the bases loaded and one out in the top of the fourth, Robbins was hit by a pitch to extend the Ragin’ Cajuns lead to 3-1. In the next at bat, Trahan cleared the bases sending a double down the left field line to put Louisiana up 6-1.
 
The Cajuns exploded for four more runs on four hits and an Alabama error in the top of the sixth to take a 10-1 advantage. A Trahan RBI single up the middle and a Thurman RBI double highlighted the scoring in the inning.
 
Louisiana added two more runs in the top of the seventh as Robbins scored on a wild pitch and Conrad plated Trahan on a ball hit back up the middle.
 
Davis tallied the final two runs of the game for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the top of the ninth on a single down the right field line scoring Conrad and Trahan.
 
Mikey White recorded the final run of the game in the bottom half of the ninth on a solo home run to left to make the final 14-2.
 
Louisiana returns to action on Wednesday at 6 p.m. as the Cajuns face in-state opponent Northwestern State at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field to open a five-game home stand.
 
Following the game with the Demons, the Ragin’ Cajuns host Troy in the Sun Belt Conference opener at 6 p.m. on Friday at the "Tigue" to start a three-game series.
 
For updates and info on Ragin’ Cajuns baseball, follow the squad on twitter @CajunsBaseball or check RaginCajuns.com