BOONE, N.C. — Louisiana scratched across the go-ahead run in the 10th inning and held off Appalachian State for a 5-4 Sun Belt Conference victory Friday night at Smith Stadium.
The Ragin’ Cajuns improved to 31-19 overall and 13-12 in conference play, while App State fell to 28-19 and 15-10 in the league.
Louisiana jumped ahead early, scoring once in the second inning and adding another run in the third for a 2-0 lead. The Cajuns extended the advantage to 3-0 in the seventh before Appalachian State rallied with two runs in the bottom half of the inning.
The Mountaineers tied the game again in the ninth after Louisiana briefly regained a two-run cushion.
In the 10th inning, the Cajuns answered with the eventual winning run before Sawyer Pruitt closed the door to earn the victory. Pruitt tossed 1 2/3 scoreless innings with three strikeouts and improved to 6-3 on the season.
Steven Spalitta led Louisiana offensively, finishing 2 for 4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Colt Brown also recorded a pair of hits and drove in a run.
Cody Brasch gave Louisiana a strong start, allowing two runs on four hits over 6 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two.
App State starter Nick DiRito surrendered three runs on five hits across seven innings while striking out two.
The Mountaineers managed only five hits but capitalized on late opportunities to force extra innings. Steven Smith, Ethan Puig and Jake Mummau each collected RBIs for App State.
Louisiana finished with eight hits and committed two errors, while App State was charged with three errors.
The teams continue the weekend series Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in Boone.
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