Ragin’ Cajuns Baseball Sweeps Appalachian State To Win Five Straight

BOONE, N.C. – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team claimed both games of the doubleheader on Saturday against Appalachian State winning 5-4 and 6-2 to complete the sweep of the Mountaineers at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.
 
The two victories increase the Ragin’ Cajuns (20-17, 8-7 SBC) win streak to five games, the longest of the season. Louisiana is 8-1 since starting the second half of the regular season.
 
Sophomore Jack Burk picked up the victory in game one limiting the Mountaineers (8-26, 1-14 SNC) to three runs on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts in 7.0 innings to improve to 3-4 on the year. Junior Nick Lee notched his second save of the season in the contest going an inning with a run on two hits and two strikeouts.
 
Andrew Vaccacio was the game one loser giving up five run on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts in six innings of work.
 
In game two, junior Hogan Harris had one of the best outings of his career tossing 7.0 shutout innings scattering four hits with no walks and four strikeouts in the win. ASU starter Reed Howell took the loss after giving up five runs on six hits in 1.1 innings.
 
LEADING THE CAJUNS
 
Junior Daniel Lahare led the Cajuns in the doubleheader going 4-for-9 with a double, home run and five RBI. Freshman Hayden Cantrelle also had four hits on the day picking up a career-best three hits in game two, while junior Kole McKinnon drove in three runs on three hits including a double and a home run.
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns outhit App State 19-12 on the day posting 12 hits in game two of the doubleheader. Senior Kennon Fontenot extended his on base streak to 17 games with three hits and a walk.
 
On the mound, freshman Michael Leaumont continued his stellar week tossing 2.1 perfect innings with four strikeouts.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 1)
 
Louisiana jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the second on a pair of two-out, two-run doubles down the left field line by McKinnon and Lahare.
 
Lahare added to the advantage in the top of the fourth plating McKinnon on a two-out single up the middle to make the score 5-0.
 
App State got on the board in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single to right field by Conner Leonard. Later in the inning, the Mountaineers pulled within two runs on a two-run single through the left side of the infield by CJ Brown.
 
Appalachian State added a run in the bottom of the ninth on a Jason Avers RBI single to cut the lead to 5-4, but Lee got Brown to ground out and Beau Myers to strikeout to end the contest.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED (GAME 2)
 
The Cajuns grabbed an early lead again in the second game of the doubleheader as Gavin Bourgeois came home to score on an error by Leonard on a ball hit to first base by Hunter Kasuls in the top of the first inning. In the next at bat, Fontenot brought home Cantrelle on an RBI single through the right side of the infield to make the score 2-0.
 
Lahare extended the lead to 4-0 on a two-run blast to right field, his second home run of the season. Bourgeois made it back-to-back home runs as he drove 3-2 pitch from Howell over the fence in left to give Louisiana a 5-0 edge.
 
In the top of the eighth, McKinnon added an insurance run on the Cajuns third home run of the game as he launched a ball over the fence in left field to make the score 6-0.
 
App State capped the scoring in the game on a two run single to left field by Drew Beck to make the final 6-2.
 
UP NEXT
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns return home for a four-game week starting Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Louisiana Tech at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park. Following the matchup with the Bulldogs, Louisiana will play host to Little Rock in a three-game conference series starting Friday at 6 p.m.