The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team fell to the Troy Trojans 4-3 on Friday night at Russo Park. The loss begins Sun Belt play at 0-1 for Louisiana and 1-0 for Troy.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Cajuns turned to right-hander Matthew Holzhammer with ace Chase Morgan still out with an injury. After hitting the first batter, Holzhammer was able to put up a zero.
The Cajuns’ offense was able to get to work right away in the bottom of the first. After loading the bases, Jose Torres came through with the two-out, two-run single to put Louisiana ahead 2-0.
That lead would hold until the top half of the third. Troy was able to work a couple of walks to put runners on. Then, Brooks Bryan launched a three-run homer to give Troy a 3-2 lead.
That lead would be extended in the top half of the fourth on another home run. This one was launched out to right by Sean Darnell, giving Troy a 4-2 advantage.
In the bottom half of the fifth, the Cajuns got back on the board. A leadoff walk, stolen base, and RBI double by Caleb Stelly produced a run to cut the lead to 4-3.
Both offenses went cold after that point. Andrew Herrmann came in and was excellent out of the bullpen for Louisiana. Zeroes were exchanged into the bottom of the ninth.
The Cajuns got the tying run aboard, but an interference call was ruled for the third out, ending the game.
BIG NUMBER: 8
The Cajuns stranded eight baserunners in this game. That has been a common theme for them in recent weeks, as they entered this game having stranded double-digit runners in four straight games.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Brooks Bryan
Bryan delivered the big blow of this game. His three-run homer was the deciding factor, and he went 2-4 overall.
UP NEXT: Game two between the Cajuns and Trojans will be tomorrow at 5:00 PM. The game was pushed back three hours due to expected inclement weather.
