The top-ranked Louisiana Ragin Cajuns returned to Montgomery for the 2024 Sun Belt Baseball Championship, playing in the second round against the eight-seeded Monarchs of Old Dominion.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Old Dominion wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Kenny Levari hit a solo home run in the top of the first to put the Monarchs ahead 1-0. The homer was the one blemish in Chase Morgan’s record for the first two innings as he has struck out five of the seven batters he’s faced.
In the fourth, ODU scored a pair of runs off of Morgan by going double, single, and double before the freshman issued a walk for the fourth baserunner of the inning. With no outs and the Monarchs ahead 3-0, Gunner Leger made a pitching change and brought in Blake McGehee, who walked the first batter he faced to load the bases. Steven Meier grounded out to second, but it got a run in to make it 4-0. Evan Holman hit one down the left field line that bounced fair before going into the bleachers for a two-run automatic double to make it a 6-0 game.
Shortly after, catcher’s interference allowed another Monarchs baserunner on before TJ Aiken hit an RBI single to score another run and make it a 7-0 ODU lead.
Louisiana finally got on the board in the bottom of the eighth when Trey LaFleur hit a solo home run to center field to make it 7-1. John Taylor then cut into the lead further with a two run homer to right to make it 7-3 in the 8th.
Louisiana got a runner on in the bottom of the ninth, but the Monarchs closed the door to pick up the 7-3 win.
BIG NUMBER: 6
Louisiana gave up six runs in the fourth inning as the Monarchs jumped out to a 7-0 lead and never looked back.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Kenny Levari
Levari had two base hits, his first being a home run, on his way to a two-RBI performance.
UP NEXT: Louisiana will have to fight out of the loser’s bracket while ODU will advance to the quarterfinals. The Cajuns will play the loser of JMU and Georgia Southern tomorrow at 12:30 p.m.