The crooked number innings will always hurt a team in big games. Having two of those innings was the difference for UT Arlington (24-17, 14-5 Sun Belt) on Friday night as they snapped the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (27-15-1, 13-5-1 Sun Belt) win streak with a 5-4 win.
The Cajuns got out in front in the first with Joe Robbins hitting a sac fly to score Izzy Edwards, which was followed up by Steven Sensley hitting a solo shot down the right field line.
The Mavericks got on the board in the second when Noah Vaughn scored on a wild pitch. Zac Cook tied things up with an RBI single through the left side.
The Cajuns did get back in control in the fourth when Kennon Fontenot grounded out to Easton Johnson and that allowed Robbins to reach home safely.
However, UT Arlington got back in it during the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single from Brady Cox, followed up by an RBI double from Quintin Rohrbaugh to take the lead.
After another RBI single from Noah Vaughn, the Cajuns needed to hang one of those crooked numbers. In the 9th with two outs, Brenn Conrad sent one out of the park to cut the lead to one run. However, Alex Pinero would ground out the next at-bat, sealing the Mavericks victory and the lead in the Western Division.
Nick Lee dropped to 5-4 on the season allowing four runs off of seven hits in three and two-thirds innings.
The Cajuns will take Saturday off due to weather getting into the area and wrap up the series with a doubleheader on Sunday with first pitch in game one set for 11 am.
-Clint Domingue