LAFAYETTE, La. (3/23/12) - Louisiana-Lafayette right fielder Dylan Butler broke a 2-2 tie with a three-run home run in in the bottom of the eighth and the Ragin' Cajuns went on to hand Arkansas State a 9-2 loss in the opening game of a Sun Belt Conference weekend series at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.
The loss was the first for ASU in Sun Belt Conference play after a 3-0 start. The Red Wolves slipped to 11-10 overall on the season and 3-1 in league play, while ULL improved to 13-8 overall and 3-1 in conference action.
Behind a strong performance from starter Jacob Lee, Arkansas State took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh before ULL plated a run to tie the score. Lee, who retired 11 consecutive batters in the first through the fifth innings, suffered his first loss of the season to drop to 3-1. Lee worked seven innings on the night, giving up five runs on seven hits, while striking out four and walking three.
The Red Wolves struck first, getting a two-out, two-run home run in the first inning from first baseman Zach George. George's home run drove in center fielder Michael Faulkner, who led off the game with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from second baseman Zach Maggio and stole third before scoring.
The Ragin' Cajuns answered with a run in the fifth when left fielder Daniel Nichols doubled and scored on a single from second baseman Jace Conrad, then used a sacrifice fly from shortstop Ryan Leonards in the seventh to tie the game at 2-2.
Arkansas State had an opportunity to pad its lead in the seventh, getting runners at first and second with no outs, but a strikeout and a double-play by the ULL defense stopped the Red Wolves' threat.
"The momentum swung back in their favor after the seventh," said ASU head coach Tommy Raffo. "We could not move the runner with no outs, then they got the double-play. The momentum shifted, they got the one run, and it carried them into the eighth."
Butler's home run in the eighth broke the 2-2 deadlock, and the Cajuns added four more runs before the Red Wolves were able to get out of the inning trailing 9-2.
Shortstop Dustin Jones went 2-for-2 to lead ASU at the plate, while Conrad was 2-for-3 and Butler was 2-for-4 to lead ULL. Reliever Jordan Harrison worked the final three innings to get the win for Louisiana-Lafayette, giving up no hits and no runs while striking out four.
The Red Wolves and Ragin' Cajuns will resume the series Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
NOTES
- - Junior Michael Faulkner, the nation's per-game stolen base leader, stole his 19th base of the season in the first inning.
- - Sophomore Zach George's first-inning home run was his second of the season.
- - Jacob Lee's career strikeout total now stands at 228, 23 short of the ASU career strikeout record of 251 set by Rusty Bourg in 1967-70.
- - Lee retired 11 consecutive Ragin' Cajuns in the first through the fifth inning.
- - The loss was the first of the season for the Red Wolves when leading after six innings. ASU was previously 10-0 when leading after six innings.
- - Freshman outfielder Collin Massanelli saw his team-high eight-game win streak come to an end after going 0-2 with a walk.
