Baseball: Louisiana closes out homestand with victory over Nicholls – MBB Throws Out First Pitch

The Advertiser, Feb. 28, 2018

Athletic Network footnote by Dr. Ed Dugas.
Click here for game photo gallery. It includes ceremonial first pitch throw out by Coach Marlin and the SBC champs.

The Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team wrapped up its four-game homestand with a 2-1 victory over in-state foe Nicholls Wednesday night at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park.

With the win, the Cajuns improve to 3-5 on the season, while the Colonels fall to 1-7 overall.

Senior Colten Schmidt had a strong outing on the mound claiming his first victory of the year. Schmidt tossed seven scoreless innings scattering five hits with no walks and a career-high six strikeouts.

Nicholls starter Jacob Bedevian was handed the loss despite limiting the Cajuns to two runs (one earned) on three hits in 6.2 innings of work.

LEADING THE CAJUNS

Junior Daniel Lahare led UL offensively going 2-for-3 with a double, walk and scored a run, while junior Gavin Bourgeois reached base three times in the game and drove in the winning run.

On the mound, senior Logan Stoelke has yet to give up a hit in four appearances as he picked up his third save on the year. Stoelke went 1.2 scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Cajuns broke into the scoring column in the bottom of the fourth when Kennon Fontenot plated Lahare on a sacrifice fly to right center field to make the score 1-0.

After two scoreless innings, UL added two its lead in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out RBI single to left field by Bourgeois to take a 2-0 edge.

Nicholls pulled within a run, 2-1, in the top of the eight on an RBI groundout to first base by Joey Morales, but Stoelke came on in the inning and retired five of the six batters he faced to close out the contest.

UP NEXT

UL heads to the Shriner’s College Classic this weekend at Minute Maid Park in Houston for three contests against opponents from the SEC. The Cajuns open the tournament on Friday with a 7 p.m. game against No. 21 Mississippi State.

The Cajuns then will face No. 12 Vanderbilt on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. before closing out the weekend on Sunday at 11 a.m. against No. 7 Kentucky.