Ron Guidry Weekend starts with winner

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns scored five times in the third inning and three Cajuns' pitchers combined to scatter six hits as the Cajuns took game one of their three game series against Appalachian State, 6-0 Friday night at M. L. "Tigue" Moore Field.

Alex Pinero drove in three runs, while Nick Thurman and Kyle Clement each had three hits as Louisiana (10-16, 15-7 Sun Belt) won its third straight game to the delight of the 4,221 on hand for the first night of "Ron Guidry Weekend" at the "Tigue."

Guidry, the former New York Yankees' great was on hand to watch a video tribute before the game and threw out the first pitch. The Cajuns' squad wore commemorative jerseys with "Cajuns" in script with Guidry's number 3 on the front and Yankee pinstripes with the number 49 on the back. Fifteen of the jerseys were auctioned off after the game with another fifteen to be put up for bids after tomorrow night's game.

Gunner Leger (6-3,) Evan Guillory and Will Bacon combined for the shutout and struck out a season high 14 batters in the contest. The three stranded nine base runners in the contest.

The win enabled the Cajuns to gain a game on South Alabama, who lost in extra innings to Georgia Southern, 4-3. Louisiana is now three games back of the Jaguars.

The Cajuns would get everything they'd need against Mountaneers' starter Bobby Hampton (1-7) iin the third inning when Thurman led off with a home run down the right field line, his first of the season and second of his career. Two batters later, Hunter Kasuls doubled and Brian Mills walked. Clement's single scored Kasuls and after Brenn Conrad walked, Pinero doubled down the left field line to score a pair, and Conrad scored when the ball was misplayed in left field for an error.

The Cajuns added another run in the fifth when Clement singled off reliever Dallas DeVries, stole second and scored on Pinero's second hit, and added another run in the eighth inning when Brad Antchak struck out but reached on a wild pitch, stole second and scored when Nick Thurman bunted for a single with DeVries throw going past the first baseman.

Leger worked the first five innings, giving up four hits with two walks and six strikeouts. Tyler Stroup led off the game with a double to center, but he was the only man to get into scoring position against the Cajuns' lefty. Guillory, making his first relief appearance and first Sun Belt appearance of the season, was dominant in his three innings, giving up two hits with seven strikeouts, before Bacon got the final three outs.

Matt Vernon was the only player to get two hits for the Mountaineers, who dropped to 14-32 on the season, 8-17 in league play.

Guidry will be on hand tomorrow to sign autographs at Lourdes Park beginning at 4 pm, with game two of the series scheduled for 6pm at the "Tigue."