BYU goes winless in four game series against Ragin’ Cajuns

BYU baseball stayed in Louisiana after taking on LA Tech over the weekend to take on the Ragin’ Cajuns. BYU comes into the four game series 2-2 after splitting their series vs LA Tech, while the Ragin’ Cajuns are sitting at 2-1 on the year after facing Rice University.

Game 1

Game 1 against Louisiana proved to be a tough battle, despite opening the game’s scoring. Austin Deming hit his fourth double on the season in the first inning, which sent sophomore Ozzie Pratt to home base to give the Cougars the early 1-0 lead.

BYU freshman pitcher Ben Hansen didn’t allow a run until the 4th inning, the only run of the game. He pitched a total of 7 innings, allowing just 2 hits while forcing 9 strikeouts.

The 5th and 6th innings went scoreless for the Cougars and the Ragin’ Cajuns, despite BYU’s Brock Watkins getting to second base with only 1 out in the 6th.

The runs would begin again in the 7th inning, when infielder Jacob Wilk hit a RBI double, bringing home Tate Gambill. This made the score 2-1, BYU. Ozzie Pratt would then hit an RBI double of his own down the first base line, allowing Jacob Wilk to score and give them to 2 run advantage.

The bottom of the eight is where Louisiana came back with the upset victory. With infielder Mason Zambo at bat, the Ragin’ Cajuns had one man on second base, another on third. Zambo then hit a 2 RBI single, sending home teammates, Julian Brock and Carson Roccaforte. This tied up the game at 3 all.

After Ben Robichaux subbed in for Zambo on base, Caleb Stelly singled into left field. This allowed Robichaux to get in at home base and win the game for Louisiana.

Coach Pratt was disappointed with the night’s loss, but remained optimistic when it came to Ben Hansen.

“Ben was awesome on the mound. It’s too bad we couldn’t hold the lead and give him a win tonight. Hopefully we learn from this experience and find a way to win next time we are in a similar situation,” Pratt praised.

Game 2

Louisiana would improve their record to 4-1 on the year, steamrolling BYU 11-0 Thursday night. Up to this point, BYU had now lost 3 straight games.

Louisiana took no time in scoring, earning 2 runs in the bottom of the first inning. Julian Brock’s ground out sent Kyle DeBarge to home plate, while Heath Hood advanced to third. Hood would score shortly after, making it 2-0.

The Ragin’ Cajuns would then score 2 in the 4th, 4 in the 5th, and 3 in the 8th inning. Coach Pratt attributed their opponent’s momentum as a reason for the loss.

““Louisiana got some momentum early and it was hard to stop them…We had a couple of chances in the middle innings to swing the momentum our way but couldn’t capitalize with a big hit,” Pratt elaborated.

BYU hit just 5 times to Louisiana’s 13 hits. Ozzie Pratt did add more accolades to his record, going just 1-4 at bat. His one hit, a double, gave him an NCAA D1 leading seven.

Game 3

The Ragin’ Cajuns would outlast the Cougars once again Friday night in a low scoring affair, 2-1. This extends the Cougars’ losing streak to 4 games.

While pitcher Bryce Robinson gave BYU a real chance, throwing six innings with only 3 hits and tossing 10 batters at the mound, BYU only scored 1 run which came on behalf of a pari of walks and a Louisiana error.

Louisiana only scoring two runs on 5 hits was surely a disappointing outcome for BYU. Coach Pratt noted he was pleased with the way his pitchers performed.

Game 4

Game 4 proved to be a high scoring affair, as the Cougars lost in another heartbreaker, 10-11.

BYU scored first off of a Brock Watkins 2 run RBI. Watkins finished with 4 RBI on the night. Louisiana responded quickly, earning a run in the bottom of the first inning, and then scoring 3 more in the second.

Now down runs, BYU fired back in the top of the fifth. Watkins got his second 2 run RBI. DH Safea Mauai then slammed a home run into left center, allowing him and Watkins to score. Now sitting ahead 6-4, the Cougars extended their lead to 3 runs as Tate Gambill scored off of a Jacob Wilk RBI double.

Lousiana and BYU would continue to trade blows until the 9th inning, as BYU sat at a deficit of 8-11. With one out on the board, Tate Gambill homered a 2 run RBI, drawing the score within 1 run. Sophomore Cooper Vest struck out looking. With the game on the line, freshman Bryan Ball line out to third base, sealing the victory for Louisiana.

“We gave ourselves a lot of chances to win throughout the series but couldn’t find a way to finish some close games,” BYU head coach Trent Pratt reflected. “It’s early and we’ll learn from these experiences and get better. We look forward to heading home and getting back to work.” 

BYU will look to rebound back in Utah as they face of against UVU in Orem and break a 5 game losing-streak. Opening pitch is set for Tuesday, February 28th at 4:05 p.m.