LAFAYETTE, La. – The Ragin' Cajuns scored two runs in the fourth inning and held off ULM for a 4-1 win in Friday night's series opener at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
The Cajuns won their 13th-straight game on the strength of pitching performances from Andrew Herrmann (3-1) and LP Langevin. Herrmann threw 6 2/3 innings in the start, allowing one run on five hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Langevin earned his fourth save, throwing the final 2 1/3 shutout innings with four strikeouts.
ULM also had solid pitching performances.
Cam Barlow (1-2) took a tough-luck loss, throwing five innings for the second straight series-opening start, allowing three runs, two earned, on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts.
Parker Seay and
Zach Shaw each threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts out of the bullpen.
Lee Amedee led the Cajuns with three hits, including a double, and an RBI. Caleb Stelly had a hit and two RBIs.
Jake Haggard had two of ULM's five hits while driving in the only run for the Warhawks on an RBI double in the fifth inning.
The Cajuns opened the scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning, as Maddox Mandino, Kyle DeBarge and Amedee had three straight hits, with Amedee driving in Mandino for the 1-0 lead. Duncan Pastore followed with a sacrifice fly to center for the 2-0 advantage.
ULM answered in the top of the fifth inning.
Kade Dupont was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Haggard hit a one-out RBI double down the left field line to score Dupont from first to cut the deficit in half, 2-1. Haggard advanced to third on
Matt Abshire's groundout but was stranded on base.
The Cajuns responded in the bottom of the fifth. Barlow's failed pick off attempt bounced down the right field line in foul territory, allowing Josh Alexander to go from first base to third base. Stelly hit a sacrifice fly to extend the lead back to 3-1.
ULM picked up hits in the sixth and seventh innings.
Easton Winfield had a leadoff single in the sixth but was caught stealing for the first out of the inning and the Warhawks failed to score. In the seventh,
Bryce Blaser reached on a two-out flair to shallow left field and chased Herrmann from the game. However, Langevin needed one pitch to retire Haggard and end the inning.
The Cajuns added another run in the seventh as Conor Higgs hit a leadoff double and scored on Stelly's 2-out RBI single. The Cajuns tried to add another in the eighth inning on Trey LaFleur's pinch hit double, but Amadee was thrown out at home by
Shawn Dalton Weatherbee and Dupont to end the inning.
The series continues at 2 p.m. Saturday in Lafayette.
