The Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (1-2) opening weekend didn’t end with a series win like many had hoped, but it ended on a positive note with an 8-6 win over the Texas Longhorns behind a solid outing by TCU transfer Dalton Horton.
How It Happened:
The Cajuns got on the board in the bottom of the first when Daniel Lahare scored on a throw to second as Hunter Kasuls was attempting to steal second base. That lead didn’t last long though as a throwing error by Lahare allowed a run to score following Masen Hibbeler flying out to right field.
Gavin Bourgeois responded in the bottom of the second with a sac bunt that got Brennan Breaux across home plate to give Louisiana the lead back. The middle innings were really good for the Cajuns, putting up two runs in the fourth and an impressive four runs in the fifth highlighted by a two-run single by Bourgeois to give them an impressive 8-1 lead after five innings.
The Longhorns responded in the seventh, capitalizing on an error by Jordan Wiley that got Michael McCann home safely. That was followed up by a three-run bomb by Eric Kennedy to make it 8-5. Things got even dicier when Hibbeler was walked with the bases loaded to make it a two-run game. However, Austin Bradford was able to finish what he started, striking out Tate Shaw to help the Cajuns avoid getting swept at home.
Big Number: 3
Three is the magic number, but it was far from a good number for the Cajuns with three costly errors on the afternoon with each of them resulting in runs. This could’ve really been costly against a nationally-ranked program, but thankfully the offense for the Cajuns was on point this afternoon so the damage wasn’t quite as bad.
Player of the Game: Dalton Horton
The Cajuns may have found their third weekend starter in Dalton Horton based off of his performance. It was only five innings of work, but the pitcher out of TCU was solid in five innings of work, allowing only one earned run and struck out five on the afternoon. If not for him coming back from injury, he could have had an increased workload, but starting off the season 1-0 is still nothing to scoff at.
Next Up: Tuesday at Louisiana Tech; First Pitch at 6 pm
-Clint Domingue