THE RUNDOWN
Friday night, DBU (8-6) fell to Louisiana (11-3) by a score of 6-5. Patriot starter
Russ Smith tossed six innings and matched his season-high of six strikeouts.
Dylan Schlaegel,
Ryan Martin, and
Adam Berghult left the yard in the comeback effort.
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Smith struck out two hitters in a 1-2-3 inning to kick off the evening, before the Patriots stranded runners on first and second in a scoreless bottom half.
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Rigoberto Hernandez led off the top of the second with a single, but he would be gunned down at second base on a steal attempt by
Adam Berghult during the next at-bat. Smith then sat the next two hitters down on fly balls to end the inning.
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Identical to the bottom of the first, DBU had runners on first and second base with two outs, but couldn't cash in.
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Louisiana would draw first blood in the top of the third, as Kasen Bellard punched a two-out solo home run to dead center field. The Ragin' Cajuns led 1-0 entering the bottom of the third.
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Jake Bennett led off the DBU half with his first double of the night, but the next three Patriot hitters were set down in order.
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Louisiana was able to add to its lead in the top of the fourth, as Colt Brown laced a one-out, two-RBI single to center field, scoring Lee Amedee and Drew Markle. Smith would settle in and limit the damage to two runs, stranding two runners to end the frame. The Patriots trailed by three heading to the bottom half of the fourth.
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Berghult led off the Patriot half fourth with a 100 mph lineout to center field, before
Dylan Cupp drew a full-count walk.
Dylan Schlaegel then launched a 369-foot two-run homer into the DBU bullpen, cutting into the deficit. The Patriots trailed by one run heading into the fifth inning.
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The two teams traded solo shots in the fifth. Donovan LaSalle homered to left center with one out in the top half, before
Ryan Martin returned the favor in the bottom half. Martin's bomb was the furthest of the day for the Patriots, landing 409 feet from home plate.
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Russ Smith went out for his last inning of work in the sixth and tossed a scoreless frame, forcing Maddox Mandino to roll over to end his day. DBU entered the bottom of the sixth trailing 4-3.
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Adam Berghult led off the bottom of the sixth with a 390-foot game-tying home run over the left field fence, energizing the home crowd at Horner Ballpark. The Patriots would later load the bases for
Ryan Martin, who drew a walk, giving DBU its first lead of the night at 5-4.
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Lee Amedee knotted the game at five with a one-out single to right center, scoring Griffin Hebert.
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The Patriots would be held scoreless in the bottom of the seventh, and
Athan Kroll would return the favor in the top of the eighth.
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Still tied at five going into the bottom of the eighth,
Jake Bennett laced a two-out double to right field, but would be stranded in scoring position as the game trickled into the ninth inning.
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JT Long relieved Kroll and struck out the first two hitters he faced. In the next at-bat, Long had Rigoberto Hernandez down 0-2, but he battled and turned on the eighth pitch of the plate appearance, sending it over the right field fence, giving the Ragin' Cajuns the lead. Long sat down the next hitter on strikes, but the damage had been done.
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Louisiana's Garret Carter slammed the door in the ninth inning, generating consecutive fielder's choices after allowing a one-out single.
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THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- This marked the second year in a row where Louisiana defeated DBU 6-5 on a Friday.
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Adam Berghult threw out the only attempted basestealer from Louisiana tonight.
- The Patriots stranded 11 baserunners tonight.
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INSIDE THE NUMBERS
1,168 - Patriot hitters combined to launch 1,168 feet worth of home runs tonight.
5 - Both teams swatted five extra-base hits.
13 -
Jake Bennett increased his team-leading walk total to 13 tonight.
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ON DECK
The Patriots continue their weekend set against Louisiana tomorrow afternoon.
Jared Schaeffer (2-0, 4.05 ERA) is scheduled to take the hill at 3:05 pm.
