Cajuns Complete Sweep of UALR 6-3

Cody Boutte allowed just one run over six innings and Jace Conrad’s two run double highlighted a three run third inning as the top-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns completed a three game sweep over Arkansas-Little Rock by taking a 6-3 win over the Trojans Sunday afternoon at M. L. “Tigue” Moore Field.

Boutte (5-0) continued his mastery over conference opponents by limiting the
Trojans to just four hits with Austin Pfeiffer’s solo home run in the sixth the only damage suffered by the senior left hander.  Boutte walked one and struck out seven in his 90-pitch performance.

Louisiana (34-4, 14-1 Sun Belt) got on the board off losing pitcher Cameron Allen (3-3) in the second inning when  Conrad had a one out single and stole second.  Then, with two out, first baseman Greg Davis delivered Conrad with a flare to left center, giving the Cajuns a 1-0 lead.

Louisiana padded the lead in the third when BlakeTrahan was hit by a pitch and was sacrificed to second by Ryan Leonards.  Seth Harrison then followed with an infield single, and, after Caleb Adams flied to center, Dylan Butler laced a double to plate Trahan with the game’s second run.  Conrad followed  with a double past the diving attempt of second baseman Tanner Rockwell, scoring Harrison and Butler to make the score 4-0.

After Pfeiffer’s second homer of the season got UALR on the board in the sixth, the Cajuns answered right back on an infield single by Michael Strentz, who moved to second on a Ryan Leonards ground out.  Strentz took third when Harrison’s grounder was misplayed by third baseman Ben Crumpton and scored when catcher Drew Merten threw wildly trying to get Harrison on a steal attempt.

The Cajuns got their final run in the seventh when Conrad walked and went to third on a perfect hit and run single by Tyler Girouard.  Conrad scored when Girouard got caught trying to steal second.  That made the score 6-1.

But UALR (13-20, 3-12)wasn’t finished.  Ben Crumpton led off the eighth with a single off reliever Matt Hicks.  After Pfeiffer struck out, Taylor Rockwell tripled to the gap to score Crumpton.  Senior right hander Ben Carter came on to strike out Justin Steelmon, but Bryson Thionnet doubled to bring home the second run of the inning.  Reagan Bazar got the final out of the eighth by getting Joseph Paulino to ground out to Trahan at shortstop.  Bazar finished it off in the ninth for his sixth save of the season.

The Cajuns pitching staff allowed only three earned runs on the weekend.

Louisiana will take a break from mid-week action this week and will head to Arlington, Texas for a three game series with UT Arlington next weekend at Clay Gould Ballpark on the UTA campus.  Game times are scheduled for 6:30 Friday, 2:00 Saturday and 1:00 Sunday.