April 16, 2004

LITTLE ROCK, Ark.-The Cajuns and Trojans battled back and forth Friday night combining for 33 hits and 24 runs, but the Cajuns could not pull ahead of the Trojans as they go down by a 14-10 count. Arkansas-Little Rock’s lineup finished with at least one hit for each batter and batted around twice in the game. With the loss, the Cajuns fall to 22-11 and 7-3 in Sun Belt play.

Kraig Schambough took the loss for Louisiana who went three innings and was charged with four runs on five hits after coming on in relief of starter Kevin Ardoin. Schambough (5-2) managed a pair of strikeouts in the outing.

Scott Yant got the win for the Trojans throwing one and two-thirds innings surrendering three runs on four hits while getting a strikeout relieving starting pitcher Kenny Geiresbach. Yant (1-1) helped UALR to improve to 3-5 in Sun Belt action.

Travis Trammell picked up the save for UALR getting the final seven outs of the game.

Louisiana jumped ahead early in the top of the first when Josh Landry slapped a one-out single back to the pitcher’s mound before a Justin Bourque single put runners on the corners. Phillip Hawke hit a sacrifice fly into foul territory to give the Cajuns the early 1-0 lead.

UALR answered with five runs in the bottom of the first when Jimmy Scott singled and stole second. Matt Spatafora doubled to left to score Scott, tying the game at one. Chad McKellar drew a walk before a Chris Becker single loaded the bases. Aaron Haefele doubled to the wall in left-center, driving in two to give UALR a two-run lead. Joe Petrino walked loading the bases again. Josh Ward singled scoring two more giving the Trojans a 5-1 lead.

The Cajuns put runners on the corners again in the second, but couln’t convert. Jason Rodriguez reached on a two-out throwing error. John Coker hit a flare that fell for a single to right advancing Rodriguez to third before Geirsbach struckout the last batter of the inning to sit the Cajuns.

Ardoin retired the first two in the second before Spatafora reached on a fielding error. Ardoin got the last out in the inning getting McKellar to bounce a comebacker to the hill for the routine 1-3 putout.

Hawke walked to give the Cajuns a baserunner in the third. Hawke took second on a wild pitch. Morris hit the ball hard, but right at the leftfielder to end the top of the inning for UL.

Becker started the bottom of the third with a single to the first base side and took second when Haefele drew a base on balls. Coach Tony Robichaux pulled Ardoin in favor of right-hander Jeff Morgan.

Ward singled down the line in left to score Becker before the Cajuns got out of the inning.

Ryan Core led off the fourth with a single to left off of a Geiresbach breaking ball. Core advanced to third on a Micah Cockrell single. Cockrell was caught on the play trying to stretch the hit into a double.

Jason Rodriguez hit an opposite-field homerun to score two for Louisiana. Rodriguez’s first homerun of the year cut the Trojans’ lead in half.

Coker gave the Cajuns a one-out baserunner with a free pass. Justin Merendino singled through the left side to put runners on first and second. A groundout to first advanced the runners 90 feet, but the Cajuns would get only the two runs back as Geiresbach got a fly ball out to put down the Cajuns uprising.

Morgan sat the top of the Trojans’ lineup in order in the bottom of the fourth.

The Cajuns made it a new ball game in the fifth. Dallas Morris lined a one-out single into centerfield and took second on a wild pitch. Core walked to put runners on first and second. Cockrell homered to tie the game at 6-6. Cockrell’s third longball of the year left the yard in a hurry via the 16-foot wall in left.

Arkansas-Little Rock retook the lead starting with Becker’s homerun in the bottom of inning five giving UALR the lead at 7-6.

Haefele singled to right in the same inning before Petrino doubled to the gap in right-center plating Haefele as the Trojans reclaimed a two-run lead.

Schambough came on in relief of Morgan with the runner on second.

Ward reached second on a fielding error that also put Petrino on third. A Rhett Hubbard single scored a run making it a 9-6 game after five complete.

Merendino doubled off the wall in left to start the sixth, chasing Geiresbach in favor of Yant.

A groundout to second moved Merendino to third. Merendino scored on a wild pitch. Hawke drew his second walk of the game before Dallas Morris banged his team-leading eleventh homerun to knot the game at nine.

The Trojans would pull ahead again in the bottom of the sixth when McKellar doubled off the wall right-center before Becker hit his second homerun of the game making it an 11-9 game.

Rodriguez hit a one-out single down the first base line in the top of the seventh before Coker followed with a single through the right side to put runners on first and second. A Landry single up the middle scored a run and put runners on the corners. The base hit also warranted a call to the bullpen. Travis Trammell entered the game with two outs for the Trojans to make his 14th relief appearance of the season.

Trammell issued a walk to Bourque to load the bases, but got the last out in the inning at the plate.

Schambough sat the Trojans in order in the bottom of the seventh.

Spatafora's homerun in the bottom of the eighth made the game 12-10 in favor of UALR.

Bubba Olivier came on in relief after a McKellar double to right-center. A hit batsman loaded the pads for UALR. The Trojans took a 14-10 lead on a single to right off the bat of Petrino.

The Cajuns and Trojans will play tomorrow at 1 p.m. before wrapping up the series Sunday with the first pitch also scheduled for 1 p.m.

UL Sports Information Release