Cajuns Defeat Sacred Heart With Solid Pitching

Louisiana's Ragin' Cajun (9-2) baseball team earned an exciting 4-2 victory Friday night over the Sacred Heart Pioneers (0-1), thanks in large part to some solid pitching from Chase Traffica (pictured) and Matt Hicks.

Traffica finished with a career-best eight strikeouts, the most by a Cajuns pitcher this season. He gave up a two run homer in the fifth that tied the contest at 2-2, but quickly brushed it off to go two more solid innings. Matt Hicks came in to start the eight, registering the save.

Hicks faced a tough situation after an error in the top of the ninth allowed the first Pioneers batter on base with the Cajuns clinging to a 4-2 lead. Sacred Heart went on to load the bases with no outs. However, Hicks quickly got out of the jam, striking out one batter, then a force play at home, followed by a ground out to Jace Conrad to end the threat, and the game.

Game 2 of the three-game series at the "Tigue" is set for tomorrow at 2:00. Sophomore leftie Cody Boutte (2-0, 6.75 ERA) will go up against Pioneer leftie Nick Leiningen.