Cajuns’ Late Rally Beats App State, 4-1

Joe Robbins' suicide squeeze bunt broke a 1-1 tie and Brad Antchak's two run single added some insurance as the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns scored three times in the eighth inning to defeat Appalachian State 4-1 in the finale of the three game series Sunday at M. L. "Tigue" Moore Field.

Kyle Clement started the winning rally with a leadoff single off App State reliever Reed Howell (5-2.)  Stefan Trosclair then pushed a bunt past Howell out toward second base for a base hit and Brenn Conrad sacrificed to move the runners to second and third.  Robbins, batting for Alex Pinero, then laid down the bunt with Clement charging from third and Howell's flip to the plate was late.  Robbins then stole second and the two runners scored when Antchak ripped a single to left.

Dylan Moore (5-1), who pitched the final two innings in relief of Nick Lee, got the victory, for the Cajuns (31-16, 16-8), retiring six of the seven batters he faced.

Appalachian State (15-33, 9-18 Sun Belt) took an early 1-0 lead when left fielder Tyler Stroup led off the game with a homer to right field.  But the Cajuns came right back against lefty Colin Schmid in the bottom of the inning when Hunter Kasuls led off with a triple to right center and scored on Brian MIlls' sacrifice fly.

After Stroup's homer, Lee retired twelve in row before surrendering a leadoff single to Tanner Mann-Fix in the fifth.  Lee struck out the next two hitters, but Caleb McCann singled to put runners at first and second.  Lee then struck out Beau Myers for the third out of the inning.

App State threatened again in the sixth when Lee surrendered a one out single to Matt Vernon and walked Bryan Bauk.  But Connor Leonard then grounded to Antchak who started a 6-4-3 double play to end that threat.  Lee allowed just four hits with one walk and eight strikeouts in seven innings of work.

Schmidt matched Lee on the mound, giving up just four hits in 6.1 innings with two walks and three strikeouts.  He left in favor of Howell after allowing a one out walk to Antchak and an infleld hit to Nick Thurman.  Howell walked pinch hitter Kennon Fontenot to load the bases, but got out of the inning by getting Kasuls to pop up and retiring Mills on a ground ball.

The Cajuns will be back in action Wednesday when they head to Houston to take on the Cougars in a game scheduled for 5pm.  That will start a five game road swing for the Cajuns, who head to Mobile next weekend for a showdown with South Alabama and a trip to New Orleans before finishing the regular season at home against ULM.