Baseball: Robichaux, dad share special moment before Cajuns win

Tim Buckley, The Advertiser, March 4, 2017

Athletic Network Footnote by Dr. Ed Dugas:
Click here for photo gallery of the UL vs. S. Miss. game.

UL coach Tony Robichaux has newfound appreciation for catchers everywhere.

Before the No. 16 Ragin’ Cajuns’ 5-4 win over Southern Mississippi on Saturday, their second game in renovated M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park, Robichaux went behind the plate to field a special ceremonial first pitch.

After the victory, Robichaux was asked what it meant to receive the throw from his father, Ray Robichaux.

Before he answered, an emotional Tony Robichaux — who buried his mother, Sylvia Marie Robichaux, last August — took a moment to compose himself.

“You know, with Mom not being here to see it, it was good to have Dad here,” the Cajun coach said, his voice wavering. “I know she did see it.”

Watching on from the infield of M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park was Chris Russo, who pledged $5 million toward the stadium’s $16 million renovation to have it renamed with his family name in honor of his late father Sammy Joe Russo.

UL baptizes renovated park with win over Southern Miss
“Then to have Chris tell me that, you know, ‘My father is not here; I want your dad to (throw the first pitch) for Sammy,’” Robichaux said, “that meant a lot. It meant a lot.”

Robichaux, who had no idea his father was going to throw and was shocked when he saw him him moments before, didn’t exactly field the throw clean.

Not that it matters.

“So, it was great to see him,” Robichaux said of his father.

“I just wish he wouldn’t have thrown that slider-extra down and away on me. That’s not what I called. But him and I will discuss that later.”

Robichaux, the quiver in his voice changing to a chuckle, suggested he now knows just how tough UL starting catcher Handsome Monica’s job really is.

“I’ll never second-guess him,” the Cajun coach said.

Robichaux left The Tigue happy not only about the experience with his father beforehand, but also how things finished.

UL overcame an early 3-0 deficit and Dylan Moore sealed the victory by striking out the side in the ninth inning, marking the junior closer’s 31st career save.

That ties the Sun Belt Conference record set by Florida Atlantic’s Hugh Adams from 2009-13.

   WHAT HAPPENED

Southern Miss jumped on UL quick, with Dylan Burdeaux delivering a lead-off double and Taylor Braley singling him in three batters later.

Tracy Hadley then drilled a two-out, two-run homer to left off Cajun starter Nick Lee, making it 3-0 Golden Eagles in top of the first.

In the bottom of the first, Alex Pinero singled in Ishmael Edwards, who had singled himself, for second for UL’s first run of the day.

“That’s a big run, because it answers,” Robichaux said. “You don’t want somebody to stick you with a zero after they’ve scored on you.”

“Our mentality was ‘a lot of ballgame left,’” Edwards added. “So one was worried about (the deficit). We knew we could overcome it.”

UL picked up two more runs in the third and tied the game at 3-3 when Todd Lott singled in Brenn Conrad and Edwards later scored on a wild pitch.

They went up 5-3 in the bottom of the inning, when Lott doubled in Edwards and Steven Sensley singled in Lott from second — prompting a pitching change for Southern Miss.

Lee retired 10 of the next 11 batters he faced after yielding the homer.

“I thought Nick did a great job of settling in after the first inning,” Robichaux said.

Lee exited with one and no outs in the top of the sixth.

Two batters after Lee did, Daniel Keating doubled in a USM run with a shot off the wall in centerfield off of Jevin Huval, who left a change-up hanging.

But Huval then settled in as well, facing the minimum in both the seventh and eighth before handing off to Moore.

“We started off slow,” Huval said, “but we all knew we had it in us.”

Will atmosphere at The Tigue change with renovations?
   PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Edwards was 2-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored, Lott was 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run scored and Moore recorded his second save in as many nights.

   WHAT IT MEANS

UL, which has won three straight and five of its last six, can sweep its series against 7-3 Southern Miss with one more win.

   WHAT’S NEXT

The Cajuns close their three-game series with the Golden Eagles at 1 p.m. Sunday.

   RAGIN’ CAJUNS BASEBALL

   WHO: No. 16 UL (6-3) vs. Southern Mississippi (7-3)

   WHERE: M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park

   WHEN: 1 p.m. Sunday

   RADIO: KPEL 96.5 FM with Jay Walker

   TV: None

   PITCHING MATCHUP: UL junior RHP Evan Guillory (0-1, 13.50 ERA) vs. freshman RHP Cody Carroll (0-0, 8.59)