Texas State Hit Barrage Sinks Cajuns, 10-3

Texas State pounded out thriteen hits in the first five innings and put the game away with a five run fourth as the Bobcats defeated the #2 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, 10-3, before a crowd of 4,197 at M. L. "Tigue" Moore Field Saturday night.

The Bobcats (24-19, 12-8 Sun Belt) scored twice in the second, once in the third, five times in the fourth and twice in the fifth.  Cajuns starter Carson Baranik (8-1) took his first loss as a Cajun as Louisiana (38-6, 17-3) lost for the first time in a Saturday contest.  Baranik was charged with six earned runs on nine hits in 3.1 innings.

Taylor Black (4-4), meanwhile, was masterful for the Bobcats, pitching into the ninth inning and scattering ten hits.  He did not walk a man and struck out eight, allowing just two earned runs.

Cory Geisler and Garrett Mattlage both homered and had three hits each for Texas State to pace their 15 hit attack. Trey Hicks added two hits as ten different players had at least one hit.

An RBI triple by Tyler Pearson and a wild pitch staked Texas State to a 2-0 lead in the second inning.  The Cajuns got one of the runs back on a Caleb Adams homer, his tenth of the season.  But the Bobcats got the run right back on a Trey Hicks single, setting the stage for the big fourth inning.

Geisler hit his first home run of the season, a two run shot to left in the inning.  It appeared the inning would end 7-1 when Ryan Leonards threw out Hicks on a slow roller to third.  But after the Cajuns' went to the dugout, home plate umpire Don Hudson called for a conference and then reversed the call, saying Chase Compton came off the bag before recording the out.  UL head coach Tony Robichaux came out to question the call and was tossed by Hudson.

Mattlage's homer off reliever Ben Carter ended the Texas State scoring in the fifth.

The Cajuns got an unearned run in the seventh on a Tyler Girouard single and another in the eighth on an RBI by Jace Conrad.

Girouard had three hits to pace the Cajuns, while Leonards added two.  Blake Trahan singled in the first inning to stretch his hitting streak to fifteen games.

Reagan Bazar pitched the final four innings for the Cajuns, allowing just two hits.  He walked one and struck out two.

The teams will play the rubber game of their three game series tomorrow at 1pm.