BY: Sun Belt Media Relations

 

The No. 3 seed UL Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns pulled off an unbelievable feat on Saturday by defeating the No. 6 seed Texas State Bobcats in two elimination games in the 2015 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Ala.

The Cajuns (38-21) took game one 3-0 behind a great pitching performance from freshman Wyatt Marks and then kept the momentum going in the winner-take-all finale, winning 6-2. The Cajuns will now face the top-seeded South Alabama Jaguars in the championship game on Sunday.

The loss for the Bobcats (24-32-1) ended the run for Texas State for a second straight season in the semifinal round as their season comes to a close. It marked a second consecutive season the Bobcats’ season came to an end in the semifinals against the Ragin’ Cajuns.

Sunday’s championship will feature interesting story lines as the Jaguars will be playing for their first title since 2005, and the Cajuns are looking to be the first team to win back-to-back tournament championships since USA (2000, 2001). Should the Cajuns win, they will be the first team since 2010 to lose the opening game of the tournament and advance and win the title.

GAME ONE

Marks got his second start of the tournament for UL Lafayette, and this time the freshman lasted much longer than Thursday night’s stint. Marks went seven innings striking out eight Bobcats and allowed no runs with three walks. He faced just one batter over the minimum as the Cajuns posted a 3-0 shutout over Texas State, the first shutout of the tournament.

Marks’ performance was a bit surprising considering he was pulled in Thursday night’s start after just one third of an inning. In that game Marks gave up four hits and five runs to the Troy Trojans before heading to the dugout. Marks and fellow freshman Dylan Moore combined for the shutout and allowed four hits as the Cajuns defense turned three double plays against the Bobcats.

The two teams combined for 15 runs in the first game on Wednesday night, a game in which the Bobcats prevailed 8-7 thanks to two costly Cajun errors in the bottom of the ninth. Saturday’s first game was quite the opposite as the wind at Riddle-Pace was blowing in from right field limiting the power hitting in the game.

Despite the power struggles the Cajuns managed to plate two runs in the top of the fourth inning. Junior Blake Trahan singled to start the fourth and would be doubled home by senior Tyler Girouard. Trahan and Girouard led the Cajuns with two hits apiece. Junior Stefan Trosclair, who was walked following Trahan’s single, would advance to third on the double.

 

Trosclair would score on the next at-bat, as senior Evan Powell’s deep sacrifice fly to left field would bring in Trosclair giving the Cajuns a 2-0 lead. They would add an insurance run in the top of the seventh, as Trahan would single home senior Greg Davis who reached earlier in the inning on a single through the left side.

GAME TWO

The Cajuns claimed game two 6-2 behind another strong pitching performance, this time by junior Will Bacon and Moore. Bacon went a solid six and one third innings allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out three batters but held the Bobcats scoreless until the fifth inning. Bacon earned the win in the contest to improve to 5-2.

Moore came on in relief to earn his 11th save of the year and second consecutive as the freshman earned the save in game one as well. Moore faced 12 batters, striking out two, while allowing two hits.

The Cajuns were the visitors once again in the game and would jump out to a quick three-run lead as they would score two runs in the top of the first and then added another run in the third.

Trahan reached on an error by the third baseman David Paiz and would then advance to second on a sacrifice bunt by junior Brenn Conrad. Trosclair then singled, advancing Trahan to third. Back-to-back walks issued by Bobcats senior starter Lucas Humpel pushed across the first run of the inning for the Cajuns. Junior Nick Thurman’s groundout to shortstop pushed across Trosclair, giving the Cajuns the 2-0 lead.

In the third, Trosclair singled into left and would steal second and then advance to third on a wild pitch from Humpal. Girouard’s groundout to first would score Trosclair from third and push the lead to 3-0, Cajuns.

The Cajuns would score two more in the top of the eighth on Thurman’s two RBI double and then one more in the ninth on Trosclair’s single.

The Bobcats threatened with the Cajuns holding a 3-0 lead as they scored two runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth. Texas State had runners on the corners with one out when Geisler singled to left field. The hit scored freshman Derek Scheible and advanced freshman Luke Sherley to third. Geisler was thrown out at second trying to push his single into a double. Following Geisler’s failed attempt at second, senior Cedric Vallieres doubled down the left field line scoring Sherley from third. The hit would have given the Bobcats runners at second and third, but instead it was Vallieres on second and two outs. Sophomore Granger Studdard was walked putting two on for cleanup hitter, junior Tanner Hill, but Bacon was able to get Hill to pop-up ending the Bobcat fifth inning.

The Bobcats had one final opportunity in the bottom of the ninth as they would load the bases again but Moore’s pitching stymied the Bobcats as he got Studdard to groundout to first to end the threat and put the Cajuns in the championship game.