Trojans Drop Second Straight To ULL

Saturday, April 25

Troy

6:00 PM

Troy University

UL-Lafayette

4/25/2009 10:30:00 PM | Baseball

TROY, Ala. ? The Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette continued their mastery of the Troy Trojans on Saturday evening, getting another sparkling pitching performance in a 6-2 victory over the Trojans.

The loss for Troy (24-16, 11-7) was the 13th in 19 all-time games against ULL (20-20-1, 10-12), which is the only Sun Belt Conference team the Trojans have never won a series from.

The Trojans will try to prevent the Cajuns from sweeping the series on Sunday when the teams meet for the final time at 1 p.m.

In addition to losing the series, the Trojans lost a game in the standings to league leaders Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee, both of which won on Saturday. Troy is now 3.5 games behind the league leaders.

“You have to find a way to make your own breaks sometimes in this game and we aren't making any breaks for ourselves right now,” Trojans coach Bobby Pierce said. “They have gotten great pitching in two straight games, and we look a little slow at the plate, a little passive.

“Our effort is solid, but we need to relax, settle in and get back to doing what we need to do. We have to flush these two games and come out tomorrow and find a way to get the last game of this series.”

After getting a strong pitching performance from Kyle Osborne on Friday night in a 5-0 victory, ULL turned to junior Justin Robichaux (1-1) on Saturday. The Cajuns' coaches son was up to the challenge, blanking the Trojans for the first six innings before allowing an unearned run in the seventh inning.

Luke Wagley worked the final two innings for ULL, striking out four.

The side-arming right-hander followed the same pattern as Osborne coaxing the Trojans into 14 ground ball outs in his seven innings of work allowing just four hits while walking two and striking out one. The converted closer, who was making just his second start of the year, threw 105 pitches.

Troy starter Jason Walls (3-3) pitched well, but was hurt repeatedly by the pesky ULL hitters, who got five of their eight hits off him on seeing eye balls through the infield. Sophomore Drew Hull worked the final three innings for Troy, allowing just two hits and striking out four.

The Cajuns scored in the first after Kyle Olasin, who has gotten on base seven times in the two games, drew a walk, moved up on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single by Travis Whipple. ULL added two more in the second on a two-strike single by Thad Griffen, scoring Lee Smith, who had doubled, and Kyle Bostick, who walked.

Whipple added a run in the fifth when he hit a two-strike homer deep to right center, over Riddle-Pace Field's 27-foot wall. The Cajuns added two more runs in the sixth when Olasin delivered a two-out double down the left field line past a diving Brett Henry.

The Trojans scored single unearned runs in the seventh and ninth innings thanks to a trio of ULL errors.

“When things are going well, you don't pay attention when little things go against you,” Pierce said. “But, when things are going bad and you hit an at ?em ball, it really takes the breath right out of you.”

For the second straight night, the Trojans managed just four hits while the Cajuns scattered 10, three from Whipple and two each from Smith and Griffen.

The Trojans will try to avoid the sweep on Sunday when they send senior left-hander Travis Burge (3-1, 5.04) to the mound to face ULL freshman left-hander Alex Fuselier (2-1, 5.79). The first pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

“Every win from this point on means something,” Pierce said. “I know that is a cliche', but it is the truth. We have to take each game one at a time, and tomorrow is the only game that is important right now.”