Stephen F. Austin
Louisiana-Lafayette
Cajuns Top `Jacks In Extra Innings
4/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 14, 2009
LAFAYETTE, La. - Zach Gardner and Sean Meyers each had career nights with four hits, but a costly throwing error gave Louisiana-Lafayette an opportunity it took advantage of in the 11th inning, escaping with an 8-7 win at "Tigue" Moore Field.
The winning run came across for the Cajuns (18-15-1) in the bottom of the 11th when Kyle Olasin dropped down a perfectly-executed safety squeeze to score pinch runner Matt Hicks; however, it was set up by a throwing error by SFA (13-20) reliever Chris Court on what looked to be a double-play ball that he errantly threw into center field to put runners on the corners with nobody out. Court was saddled with his third loss of the season, despite retiring 10 of the 13 hitters he faced in 3.2 innings of relief.
Michael Cook earned his third win of the season with 2.0 innings of relief.
Meyers finished the night 4-for-5 with a double and a career-best four RBI while Gardner tied a career best with his 4-for-5 performance as well, but SFA hit into five double plays on the evening which was the most turned by a ULL team since the 1979 season.
Gardner opened up the game with an eight-pitch at-bat that ended in a triple off the center field wall, his 10th triple of his career. Two batters later Sean Meyers made it 1-0 SFA with an RBI-single to center field off of Lackie.
SFA next threatened to push runs across in its half of the third, getting a leadoff single from Justin McAninch and a one-out hit from Gardner to put runners at first and second; however, Lackie got a first pitch double-play ball from Tanner Hines to get out of the inning.
An unearned runs for the Cajuns tied it up in the bottom of the third, as Alex Fuselier reached on an error by Tanner Hines and eventually scored on a one-out grounder by Kyle Olasin.
ULL claimed its first lead of the night one inning later, taking advantage of a leadoff walk by Priest to Scott Hawkins. A sacrifice fly by Matt Goulas brought him in from third after a single from Les Smith, but it was a two-run home run by Chad Keefer that opened the lead up to 4-1 in favor of the Cajuns.
Priest helped his own cause in the top of the fifth, pulling the `Jacks to within a run at 4-3 with his first career hit - a two-run home run - on a 3-1 pitch from Lackie. The situation looked promising for the `Jacks after that with a walk to McAninch and a single by Trent Blanchard to drive Lackie from the hill with nobody out, but left-hander Blake Haagen entered and struck out Gardner and Hines before Meyers delivered the tying hit. Meyers just missed taking Haagen out of the yard by inches, instead settling for an RBI double that scored McAninch; however, the relay was in time and nailed Blanchard at the plate to keep the score at 4-4.
Unfortunately, that lead was short lived as Kyle Bostick reached on a single to open the bottom half of the fifth and moved into scoring position on a sacrifice bunt from Olasin. Greg Fontenot then followed with a clean single to right field to score Bostick, making the score 5-4.
Jarid Scarafiotti knotted it up once again in the sixth with his second homer of the year, but Keefer got his second home run in as many at-bats in the ULL half of the inning by going out to right field with a man on for a 7-5 lead, driving Priest from the mound.
SFA then had another opportunity to really cash in, loading the bases with nobody out in the top of the seventh. Meyers delivered once again, blooping a two-run single down the left-field line to tie it up again at 7-7. Brian Ferguson then loaded them up again, reaching on a fielder's choice that pitcher Zach Osborne decided to fire to third but was not in time to get Hines. However, Osborne then got Scarafiotti to ground weekly back to the pitcher for a double play and then got Jeffrey Kello swinging with runners at second and third.
Court then entered in a jam in the bottom of the eighth, inheriting runners at first and second with only one out and the score still tied, but got Travis Whipple to line softly to Kello at second base who stepped on the bag to double off Olasin who had strayed too far from second.
The `Jacks threatened to take the lead in their half of the ninth when Gardner delivered his third hit of the night, a single to right field off of Justin Robichaux, and moved into scoring position on a grounder by Hines. But Cajuns' head coach Tony Robichaux decided to walk Meyers with first base open and then proceeded to get Ferguson to pop out and pinch hitter Adam Bosley to ground out to end the threat.
SFA gets little time to rest as it will return home immediately to take on UTPA in a doubleheader beginning at noon at Jaycees Field. Zack Taylor is scheduled to throw in Game 1, while true freshman Cory Ochs is slated to get the ball in Game 2.
-SFA-
