Cajuns’ Dramatic Rally Evens Series with ULM, 13-9

Connor Dupuy's RBI double broke an 8-8 tie and Louisiana went on to score five runs in the tenth inning to defeat ULM 13-9 and even their series at one game apiece.

Brennan Breaux and Kole McKinnon had back to back singles with one out in the tenth against Conner Deeds (2-2) before Dupuy hit a line drive to left that fell just fair to score Breaux and give the Cajuns a 9-8 lead.  After an intentional walk to Hayden Cantrelle to load the bases, Hunter Kasuls walked to force in another run and Orynn Veillon hammered a bases clearing triple to the base of the wall in center field to cap the five run inning.

The Cajuns (26-29, 14-15 Sun Belt) had to rally in the ninth inning, trailing 8-6.  But Kasuls homered with one out to cut the lead to one and Veillon delivered a dramatic blast with two out off Kolton Childress to tie the game.  The homer was Veillon's eleventh of the season and extended his hitting streak to 18 games.

Michael Leaumont (2-3), the fifth Cajuns' pitcher of the night got the Warhawks in order ni the bottom of the ninth and gave up a meaningless homer to Chad Bell in the bottom of the tenth.  It was the only baserunner the sophomore allowed in his two innings of work, striking out three.

ULM had broken a 6-6 tie in the seventh on an RBI double by Chad Bell off reliever Jacob Schultz and scored on pinch hitter Blake Buchman's sacrifice fly to set the stage for the dramatic ninth.  Gunner Leger got the final two outs in the eighth, including a strikeout which moved him into sole possession of fifth place in Cajuns' history.

ULM got on the board against Cajuns' starter Brandon Young on a two run homer by Trent Tingelstad, but the Cajuns responded against ULM starter Ty Barnes in the second inning, scoring on an RBI single by Breaux, a wild pitch and Dupuy's fielder's choice grounder.

The Cajuns added to their lead in the fourth inning when Handsome Monica belted his 14th homer of the season to lead off the inning.  After Breaux walked with one out, Kole McKinnon delivered a mammoth home run down the line in left to give the Cajuns a 6-2 lead.

But the Warhawks (24-28, 12-16 Sun Belt) sent ten men to the plate in the bottom of the fifth and scored four times off reliever Grant Cox.  Masen Prososki delivered two runs with a double down the line in left and Logan Wurm singled him home.  Schultz entered and gave up an RBI single to Joey Jordan which tied the game.

Breaux led the Cajuns' 15-hit attack with four hits and scored three runs.  McKinnon added three hits and two runs scored with two RBI.  Veillon, Monica and Kasuls had two each each.

Bell had three hits for ULM, extending his hitting streak to 18 games.  Joey Jordan, Tingelstad, Andrew Beesley, Wurm and Braedon Barrett all had two hits apiece.

The five Cajuns' pitchers combined to strike out 15 Warhawks in the contest, while ULM pitchers fanned 12.

The two teams will close the regular season in the series finale Saturday at 12 noon.  The game, originally scheduled for 2;00, has been moved up because of impending weather.