After losing in 17 innings earlier this year, Ragin' Cajun baseball paid back McNeese State with an extra innings victory of their own in Lake Charles.

It didn't take 17 innings for Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns to get their revenge either, claiming the 6-5 payback. After neither team could register a run in five complete innings without a run crossing the plate, the Cowboys made a mistake that cost them the game. After all, baseball is a game of least mistakes.

With two outs in the top of the 11th, Austin Briggs plunked Nick Thurman. With the inning extended, Stefan Trosclair stepped up in the very next at bat and ripped a double into the corner. Thurman was waved home at third at the same time as the fielder picked up the ball to throw. It was a risky move, but it paid off as Thurman crossed the plate safely for the eventual game-winning run.

Members of #CajunNation and the Cowboy faithful probably thought they were destined for another extra innings marathon, but the Cajuns capitalized quickly on a crucial error. It wasn't a perfect game for Louisiana by any means though.

The Cajuns left twelve runners on the base paths. Even Blake Trahan failed to punctuate a bases loaded opportunity in the second inning, striking out looking, which he did twice on the day. Four errors on the defensive end led to a couple unnecessary runs. They struck out nine times as a team...but they found a way to win.

Trailing 1-5 after a poor opening three innings, Dylan Butler broke the Cajuns out of their funk by smashing a two-run HR on his way to a three-RBI performance. Brian Mills tacked on a pair of RBI's as well, and Trosclair provided the dagger in the 11th.

Five separate pitchers combined for a gritty effort on the mound for the Cajuns. Wyatt Marks started things off, going three innings after allowing three earned runs and five hits. When Marks was pulled, Will Bacon came out and sizzled his way to three scoreless innings with four strikeouts. Colton Lee followed that up with three scoreless innings of his own, complete with five strikeouts. Chris Charpentier struck out two in his own clean inning. Dylan Moore finished the victory off in the bottom of the 11th, and the Cajuns got on the bus in time to get a Darryl's Special poboy for the drive home.

Head Coach Tony Robichaux always talks about having his teams "compete." They didn't play their best baseball in Lake Charles, far from it. Errors in the field and missed opportunities offensively could have broke a mentally weak team. Robichaux will surely be glad his squad dug deep and persevered.

Robichaux is probably also glad the game didn't last 17 innings.

More From News Talk 96.5 KPEL