After a tough weekend in Houston, the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns responded with a shutout midweek game over Northwestern State before returning home to host Tulane. After jumping out to an 8-2 lead, the Green Wave scored nine unanswered runs to take an 11-8 win in game one of the series.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After a pair of walks put two baserunners up for Tulane, Connor Rasmussen hit a double to dead center that got both runners home and gave the Green Wave an early 2-0 lead. The Cajuns responded with a walk from Maddox Mandino before moving over to second on a groundout. Then, John Taylor legged out an infield grounder that forced an errant throw that went to the Tulane dugout, which allowed Mandino to score and Taylor to move to second base.
In the bottom of the third, Kyle Debarge launched a hit to right field that bounced off the top of the wall to score Mandino. Then, Lee Amedee reached on a fielder’s choice, but a wild throw to the plate allowed Taylor to score and both Debarge and Amedee to move up a base. One pitch later, Bryan Broussard laid down a suicide squeeze that scored DeBarge, but when Amedee tried to sneak the second run in, Tulane got the third out at the plate to end the inning with a 4-2 Louisiana lead.
Louisiana added four more in the bottom of the sixth, starting with back-to-back singles from Broussard and Trey LaFleur before Jose Torres was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Then, a two-run single from pinch hitter Mason Zambo made it 6-2 before a two-run triple from the second pinch hitter of the inning, Connor Higgs, made it an 8-2 game.
Tulane tacked on three runs in the seventh with a two-run home run from Jackson Linn immediately followed by a solo shot from Marcus Cline to make it a 8-5 Cajuns lead at the seventh inning stretch.
In the eighth, Tulane drew one step closer with a bases-loaded fielder’s choice to make it an 8-6 game and keep the bases loaded. Then, a single from Brock Slaton scores another run to make it 8-7. Then Tulane took the lead on another fielder’s choice play mixed with a throwing error to make it 9-8 Green Wave.
Tulane got some insurance in the ninth with a leadoff triple from Colin Tuft, who came into score on an RBI triple from Teo Banks to make it a 10-8 game. Shortly after, a sacrifice groundout scored another run to make it 11-8 Green Wave.
In the bottom of the ninth, Jacob Moore finished the job by pitching the final two innings and giving up just one double to DeBarge to secure the 11-8 win in game one of this three-game series
BIG NUMBER: 9
After taking an 8-2 lead, Tulane erupted for nine unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings to take an 11-8 lead.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Connor Rasmussen
The Green Wave second baseman started the scoring with a two-run double in the top of the first before adding a third RBI later in the contest to lead Tulane with three runs batted in.
UP NEXT: Game 2 of this series will be played Saturday afternoon at M.L. Tigue Moore Field at Russo Park. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.