Baseball: UL falls to LSU 4-3 on walkoff home run

Trey Labat, The Advertiser, June 6, 2015

 

 

After all of the hype in the lead up to the first game between LSU and University of Louisiana at Lafayette in the super regional it was only fitting we were treated to some late-game magic from both squads.

After struggling at the plate through the first eight innings, UL’s Brenn Conrad slammed a game-tying, pinch-hit home run on the first pitch he saw in the ninth inning to give the Cajuns some hope.

Conrad was relegated to pinch-hit duty after aggravating a hamstring injury in last week’s regional in Houston.

But the Tigers responded in the bottom of the ninth in similar fashion with senior designated hitter Chris Sciambra smashing a walk-off dinger in almost the same spot as Conrad’s to give the Tigers the 4-3 win.

LSU’s Alex Lange finished the night with 11 strikeouts and turned in a masterful performance until Conrad’s ninth-inning home run.

Cajun’s pitcher Wyatt Marks struggled early, LSU sophomore outfielder Jake Fraley hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the third to give the Tigers an early 3-0 lead, but settled in after that point finishing with seven innings pitched and only giving up two earned runs.

Before Sciambra’s home run in the bottom of the ninth the Cajuns had held the Tigers hitless for 16 straight batters.

Fraley provided the Tigers other run in the bottom of the first, driving in Laird with a double down the right field line.

The Cajuns battled throughout, but were baffled by Lange’s breaking ball through most of the evening. The finally broke through for their first run in the top of the sixth, with Tyler Girouard smoking a 2-out single into center field to score third baseman Joe Robbins from second.

UL scratched across another run in the top of the eighth when left fielder Evan Powell sent a Lange heater into the gap in right center for a RBI-double that scored Trosclair.

Parker Bugg came into the game for the Tigers after Lange gave up the home run to Conrad and shut down the Cajuns for the remainder of the inning.

Cajun’s senior reliever Will Bacon was charged with the loss after giving up the home run to Sciambra.

Game 2 of the super regional will be played at 6:05 Sunday and will be televised on ESPN2.

Freshman left-hander Gunner Leger is slated to start for the Cajuns, while LSU’s starter will be southpaw Jared Poche.