The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team capitalized on multiple errors by TCU and big performances for a 7-2 win on Friday night.
Louisiana is now 11-8 for the season.
How It Happened:
Louisiana kept TCU scoreless in the opening inning. The Ragin’s Cajuns left two runners in scoring position on base in the bottom of the first. Connor Kimple hit a double to left field, while Alex Hannie was the first runner on with a single to left.
It was another scoreless inning in the second. TCU put two runners on first and second at the top of the third inning, but the Ragin’ Cajuns turned a double play entering the bottom of the third.
The Ragin’ Cajuns scored the first run of the game after a sacrifice fly by Drake Osborn to drive in Ben Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald hit a triple earlier in the fourth. Louisiana led 1-0 entering the fifth inning.
Louisiana’s starting pitch Spencer Arrighetti struck out four batters through five innings pitched. He allowed two hits. The Ragin’ Cajuns entered the top of the sixth inning up 1-0. TCU’s starting pitcher Russell Smith struck out all three Louisiana batters in the bottom of the fifth.
Arrighetti struck out two more batters in the top of the sixth, but allowed two runners on first and third. The Ragin’ Cajuns escaped without allowing a run after a fly out to right field.
Fitzgerald’s three-run homerun gave Louisiana a 4-0 lead entering the top of the seventh.
TCU’s Conner Shepherd hit a homerun to right field to cut the deficit to 4-1. Arrighetti’s night was finished after the homer. He pitched 6.2 innings, allowed four hits, one homerun and struck out eight batters. Brandon Talley replaced Arrighetti. Talley struck out the next batter going into the bottom of the seventh.
Louisiana opened the bottom of the seventh with a single to centerfield. An error by TCU’s Smith advanced Carson Roccaforte to third base. The Ragin’ Cajuns had runners on first and third with no outs. Smith was replaced by Dalton Brown. Tyler Robertson brought both home with a homerun to left center. The Ragin’ Cajuns led 7-1 going into the eighth.
Talley was replaced by Cajuns pitcher Jason Nelson at the top of the eighth. Nelson struck out TCU’s Zach Humphreys to end the inning for the Horned Frogs.
Neither team scored in the eighth inning and TCU added another run after a ground-rule RBI double by Tommy Sacco. Nelson struck out Gray Rodgers to end the game.
Big Number: 4
The TCU Horned Frogs committed four errors in the contest. The Ragin’ Cajuns were able to turn those errors into runs after Robertson’s three-run homerun in the bottom of the seventh.
Player of the Game: Ben Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald hit a triple the fourth inning and scored the first run of the game. He followed it up with a three-run homerun in the bottom of the sixth to give Louisiana a 4-1 lead.
Up Next: Home game against TCU, Saturday March 20; First pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.