Cajuns’ Big Tenth Inning Beats Georgia Southern, 6-2

Stefan Trosclair's RBI squeeze bunt drove in the winning run and the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns went on to score four times in the tenth inning to take a 6-2 win over Georgia Southern in the first of a three game series Friday night in Statesboro, GA.

Joe Robbins had a one out infield single in the tenth off reliever Landon Hughes (0-1).  Kyle Clement followed with a hit and run single to right, sending Robbins to third.  Trosclair then bunted a 1-1 pitch to score Robbins and reached on the fielder's choice with Clement taking second.  Brad Antchak then doubled to left center to score Clement and one out later, Alex Pinero delivered a two run single for the final margin.

"I've been saying when our junior college guys come through, we're a good club," head coach Tony Robichaux said.  "Izzy (Edwards) got a big hit for us and Antchak and Pinero came through when we needed them."

Dylan Moore (3-1) worked 1.2 innings to get the win.  He came in with two men on in the ninth and got Evan McDonald to line into a double play on his first pitch to get out of the inning then retired the Eagles (17-13, 6-7 Sun Belt) in order in the bottom of the tenth.

Neither starting pitcher figured in the decision.  Junior Evan Challenger worked the first six innings for Georgia Southern, allowing five hits and two runs.  He walked three and struck out seven.

"We did a good job of getting his pitch count up," Robichaux said.  "We extended some at bats and he had to come out after six."  Challenger threw 94 pitches.

Gunner Leger worked seven innings, giving up six hits and two runs.  He hit four batters and struck out three.  Leger left in the eighth after hitting Hunter Thomas to open the inning.  Freshman left hander Hogan Harris came on to strike out Ryan Cleveland, and Jevin Huval got the final two outs to end the inning.

The Cajuns (20-10, 9-4 Sun Belt) got on the board in the first inning when Clement got an infield single with two outs.  He moved to second when Trosclair was hit by a pitch and scored on Antchak's double down the left field line.  Louisiana added a run in the fifth when Nick Thurman had an infield single, was sacrificed to second by Derek Herrington and scored on Edwards single up the middle to give the Cajuns a 2-0 lead.

The Eagles knotted the game in the bottom of the inning when Logan Baldwin led off with a double and Kent Rollins was hit by a pitch.  C. J. Ballard sacrificed the runners and pinch hitter Will Hudgins grounded out with Baldwin scoring.  Rollins scored on a wild pitch.

Georgia Southern's best chance to take the lead was in the seventh inning when Ballard singled and was sacrificed by pinch hitter Drew Kelley.  McDonald singled to right but Ballard was thrown out at the plate on a strike from Herrington.  Leger then got Cal Baker on a called third strike to end the inning.

Clement and Antchak paced the Cajuns' nine hit attack with two hits each.  Antchak and Pinero each drove in a pair of runs.

The two teams will meet in game two of the series tomorrow night at 6 pm (CDT).  Wyatt Marks (3-2) will face off against Chase Cohen (2-2).