Ragin' Cajuns Outlast Trojans 19-16 — LAFAYETTE, La. (LR Trojans) – Little Rock and Louisiana staged one of the most memorable Sun Belt Conference tournament games in the league's history, combining for a tournament-record 35 runs, 31 hits, 11 different pitchers, three ties and six lead changes in a game that spanned two days.
When the dust finally settled, however, Little Rock came up on the short end of the slugfest, falling to the host Ragin' Cajuns 19-16 at Tigue Moore Field at Russo Park.
The loss drops Little Rock into the loser's bracket of the Sun Belt Conference tournament as the Trojans will face sixth-seeded Texas State at approximately 2 p.m. this afternoon in an elimination game.
After generating just three hits in the win over Georgia State, Little Rock posted 16 against the Ragin' Cajuns, a season-best performance and the most runs in a game since a 16-1 victory over Georgia State in 2017. The offensive effort was led by a 4-for-4 effort from Kale Emshoff, who posted four RBI and four runs scored, accounting for half of the Trojans' runs against Louisiana.
Troy Alexander also finished with four hits, going 4-for-6 with a team-high five RBI and a pair of runs scored while Marcus Ragan went 3-for-6 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored as well. Riley Pittman also posted multiple hits at the plate, finishing 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI. Nick Perez also added a pair of RBI, going 1-for-5.
After being no-hit through the first 7.2 innings Tuesday, Little Rock wasted no time in breaking up the no-no bid Wednesday as Chase Coker ripped a one out double down the left field line, then advanced to third two pitches later on Colten Schmidt's first wild pitch of the season.
Kale Emshoff then drilled a shot to right center, bouncing over the outfield wall for a ground rule double, putting Little Rock on top 1-0 with one gone in the first. A single from Troy Alexander then gave the Trojans runners at the corners, but the Ragin' Cajuns turned a 6-4-3 double play to end the Little Rock threat in the first.
However the lead was short lived as three Trojan errors paved the way for a pair of Ragin' Cajun runs in the bottom of the first as Louisiana took the 2-1 lead out of the wild first inning.
The struggles for Little Rock continued into the bottom of the third as starter Cole Townsend struggled to find his groove, ending his night after throwing 63 pitches in 1.2 innings. He left the bases loaded for Louisiana with a 3-1 lead and the Ragin' Cajuns took advantage, belting a grand slam off reliever Hayden Arnold to take a commanding 7-1 lead after two complete.
Little Rock seemed unphased by the deficit however as the Trojans loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the third before Riley Pittman struck again. After notching the game-tying run Tuesday, Pittman drilled a two-RBI double to right, pulling the Trojans to within four at 7-3.
The momentum carried over into the fourth when Danny Mitchell Jr. was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, advancing all the way to third off a groundout and a steal. Marcus Ragan then notched an infield single, allowing Mitchell Jr. to score and cut the deficit to three at 7-4.
Coker then reached after becoming the second Trojan to be hit by a pitch in the inning, putting two on for Emshoff. The second pitch he saw was exactly what he was waiting on, blasting a three-run shot over the left field wall as the Trojans rallied from six down, tying the game at 7-7.
But the craziness of May continued in the bottom of the fourth as the Cajuns put one on with one out when Arnold appeared to register a strikeout but was called for a balk. A possible late timeout call on what would have been another strike for Arnold prompted a conversation between head coach Chris Curry and the umpiring crew, ultimately leading to an ejection for Curry.
Louisiana would take advantage, registering a two-out RBI single to reclaim the lead at 8-7 in the bottom of the fourth with runners on second and third. But to add another wrinkle to the evening, a storm cell that produced lightning and heavy rain halted the game at 10:45 p.m., forcing a nearly hour-long delay before the decision was made to postpone the game until Thursday morning.
Once play resumed, Louisiana added a run in the bottom of the fifth, extending its lead to 9-7, but the scoring was far from over as Little Rock responded with a leadoff double from Reyes in the top of the sixth. Emshoff then drew a five-pitch walk, putting two on for Alexander who sent a no-doubter to right, giving Little Rock the 10-9 lead.
The Ragin' Cajuns then responded themselves off the bat of Hunter Kasuls, who followed up his second-inning grand slam with a three-run shot, putting Louisiana back on top 12-10. The Cajuns then added another RBI single with two outs, extending their lead to 13-10.
But the Trojans weren't going down without a fight, starting the seventh with a double from Pittman, then drawing walks from Mitchell Jr. and Coker, loading the bases for Ragan who delivered a two RBI shot up the middle, pulling Little Rock to within one at 13-12.
Another walk from Emshoff put two runners on for the Trojans, setting up Alexander for a two RBI double to right, putting Little Rock back on top 14-13. That was immediately followed by single from Perez to right, allowing Emshoff and Alexander to score and putting the Trojans on top 16-13, capping the six-run seventh.
With a three run lead in the seventh, Justin Garcia came on to try and get some key outs and preserve the lead, but the Cajun bats were just as hot as the Trojans'. Louisiana scored three in both the seventh and eighth, outlasting the Trojans to take the 19-16 victory.
Eight different pitchers took the mound for the Trojans as starter Cole Townsend lasted just 1.2 innings, giving up six runs (four earned) on two hits with five walks and three strikeouts. Hayden Arnold lasted the longest on the mound for Little Rock, going two innings and giving up two runs on three hits and was on the mound for the Trojans when the delay occurred.
McKinley Moore started Thursday morning on the mound for Little Rock and was followed by Donavin Buckand Ethan Daily. Garcia was tagged with the loss after allowing a season-high six runs on four hits with just one strikeout in 1.1 innings pitched.
One of the key stats also showed up in the third column of the scoreboard as Little Rock committed six errors over the course of the game, compared to none for Louisiana. Each of those errors contributed to a Ragin' Cajun run.
After the marathon game against Lousiana, Little Rock will now have to recover quickly, turning around for its showdown with the Bobcats later this afternoon. Freshman Aaron Funk is scheduled to get the start for the Trojans.
#LittleRocksTeam
