LAFAYETTE, La. (3/8/08) ? The Arkansas State baseball team swept a doubleheader with Sun  Belt Conference preseason favorite Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field, winning the first game 3-0 before rallying in the second contest for a 9-5 victory.

The three-game series, which will wrap up Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. game, marks the beginning of Sun Belt Conference play for both teams.  The Indians now stand 7-4 overall and 2-0 in Sun Belt play, while the Ragin' Cajuns are 4-8 overall and 0-2 in league action.

ASU got a dominating performance from junior Chase Ware in the first game, pitching a three-hit complete game.  Ware, who retired the first eight Louisiana-Lafayette batters, allowed a base runner in just three innings.  He struck out six Ragin' Cajun batters while issuing just two walks and the Indians' defense did not commit a single error.

Trailing 4-0 after four innings in the second game, ASU scored two runs in the fifth and took the lead in the sixth with four more runs.  UL Lafayette came back with a run in the bottom of the sixth, but ASU tacked on three more runs in the ninth to secure the victory.  ASU posted 13 hits in the game and its nine runs were its most of the season.

“Chase Ware did a great job today and we had a lot of good defense behind him,” said ASU Head Coach Keith Kessinger.  “I was extremely pleased with the way we came back out in the second game and were able to get back in it after being down 4-0.  I thought we had a lot of guys that made some big plays and I am very proud of this team, but we have to get ready to come back out tomorrow for another game.”

ASU scored its first run of the first game in the second inning and added two more in the fifth when Ryan Hudgins launched a two-run home run, his first of the season, over the left-field fence with two outs.  ASU finished the first outing with seven hits and left eight men on base, while the Ragin' Cajuns stranded five runners.

The Ragin' Cajuns had a runner reach third base in the bottom of the sixth inning, but Ware retired 19 of the last 21 batters to preserve the victory.  Ware improved to 2-0 with the victory, while Sun Belt Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year Danny Farquhar was credited with the loss and fell to 1-2 on the season.

The Ragin' Cajuns struck first in the second game, scoring two runs on three hits in the third inning and adding two more in the fourth on three more hits.  Louisiana-Lafayette recorded four extra-base hits over the two innings to help it build the early 4-0 advantage.

The Indians bounced back with two runs in the top of the fifth inning, getting an RBI double from Drew Benes that scored Guy Brown.  Joey Hoffman walked after Brown's single, advanced to third on Benes' double and then came home on a wild pitch for ASU's second run.

ASU started the sixth inning with five consecutive base hits that led to three runs before UL Lafayette got its first out.  Todd Baumgartner, Hudgins, Brandon Eller, Brown and Murray Watts all singled with Watts, who entered the game as a pinch hitter, and Brown each driving in one run.  ASU added another run on a fielding error on Watts' hit. After two ASU batters struck out, Aaron Ferguson hit an RBI single that brought Brown home for the Indians' final run of the inning.

The Ragin' Cajuns came back to score their final run with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning before Chris Bullington replaced Jordan Kimball, who picked up the victory, and got the final out of the inning. Bullington pitched the rest of the game, picking up his third save of the season.

After a scoreless seventh and eighth innings, ASU added three insurance runs in the ninth.  Ferguson scored ASU's first run of the inning after posting a single, stealing second and then advancing all the way home on a single by Derrick Coleman and a Ragin' Cajuns throwing error.  The next batter, Baumgartner, hit a two-run homer to give ASU a 9-5 advantage.