HARRISONBURG, Va. — Louisiana used a big third inning and timely relief pitching to hold off James Madison for a 5-4 Sun Belt Conference win Thursday night at Veterans Memorial Park.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (19-11, 4-6 SBC) scored three runs in the third inning and added another in the fourth, then relied on their bullpen to preserve the one-run victory.
After both teams traded solo home runs in the first — with Lee Amedee going deep for Louisiana and Clay Thompson answering for James Madison — the Cajuns broke through in the third.
With the bases loaded, Steven Spalitta delivered a three-run double to right-center, giving Louisiana a 4-1 lead.
Louisiana extended its lead to 5-1 in the fourth inning when Donovan LaSalle hit a solo home run to left field.
James Madison (13-15, 4-6) responded in the bottom of the fourth, capitalizing on walks and a hit batter to score three runs and cut the deficit to 5-4.
The Dukes threatened throughout the game, leaving 12 runners on base, but Louisiana’s bullpen shut the door over the final five innings.
Parker Smith (1-2) earned the win in relief, allowing no runs over 3 1/3 innings. Cody Brasch recorded his fourth save of the season, striking out six over the final two innings.
Starter Sawyer Pruitt allowed four runs in three-plus innings before being lifted during the fourth-inning rally.
Offensively, Amedee led Louisiana with three hits, while Spalitta finished with three RBIs.
Max Kuhle (0-2) took the loss for James Madison after surrendering five runs on six hits in four innings.
Louisiana totaled nine hits in the win, while James Madison managed seven.
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