The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team hammered the McNeese Cowboys 11-3 at Joe Miller Ballpark on Tuesday night. The win moves the Cajuns to 3-1 and the loss knocks the Cowboys to 0-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Cowboys sent Caleb Strmiska to the mound and his outing did not last long. Four hits and two errors, capped by a three-run Trey LaFleur inside-the-park home run led to an eight-run outburst, chasing the Cowboy starter after just two outs.
The Cajuns sent Andrew Herrmann to the mound, and he had a much different type of first inning. He got the Cowboys in order, keeping Louisiana’s 8-0 lead intact after one inning.
After Louisiana was turned away in the top of the second, McNeese loaded the bases in the bottom half with a chance to get back into the game. However, a nice play from Cajuns’ second basemen John Taylor got them out of the inning with the lead still 8-0.
After more zeroes were put up, McNeese finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. Two hits and a Cajun error allowed the Cowboys to get on the board. Then, Connor Westenburg delivered an RBI single to make it 8-2 after four innings.
Kainin Morrow was the pitcher who put out the fire in the McNeese first, and he did a nice job settling in and giving the Cowboys some length. After working around a walk in the fifth, Morrow made it through another clean inning, still not having given up a run. That would be the end of his day, going four and a third scoreless innings.
The sixth and seventh innings came and went without either team scoring. That meant Louisiana still held an 8-2 lead going to the eighth. That would change thanks to Cajuns’ outfielder Josh Alexander. He launched a missile over the right field wall to make it 9-2. The inning would continue with another hit, a couple of stolen bases, and an RBI single from LaFleur.
McNeese would load the bases in the bottom of the eighth, but JT Etheridge came out of the Cajuns’ bullpen to get out of the jam. Former Cajun Peyton LeJeune delivered an RBI single in the ninth, but Etheridge closed it down after that.
BIG NUMBER: 8
The Cajuns put up eight runs in the first inning, and that was too much for McNeese to overcome. It was a result of both hits and errors, as the Cowboys struggled defensively in the inning.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Trey LaFleur
LaFleur has been red-hot to start the season. He went 3-4 in this game, with an inside-the-park home run, a double, and four RBI out of the leadoff spot for Louisiana.
UP NEXT: Louisiana will host Rice for a three-game series beginning on Friday. McNeese will host New Mexico for a four-game series beginning on Friday.