MOBILE, Ala. -- Hunter Moody scattered nine hits over eight innings and Louisiana-Lafayette scored five runs in the sixth to reverse a 2-1 deficit as the Ragin' Cajuns took the opening game of a Sun Belt Conference weekend series with South Alabama 9-3 Friday night at Stanky Field. The Jaguars stranded 11 runners on base, including the bases loaded in the sixth.
Sean Laird was 3-for-5 with an RBI and Bunky Kateon had a pair of hits to lead USA (21-17, 8-8). Ryne Jernigan hit his team-leading 11th home run as part of a nine-hit attack. Four Ragin' Cajuns had a pair of hits as ULL (19-18, 9-10) combined for 12 hits in winning its seventh straight game over the Jaguars.
The trend of leaving runners on started early as leadoff hitter Ray Kruml walked and stole second. But he was erased one out later on a fielder's choice.
ULL generated a run with two outs in the second. Chance Harst led off with a single but the next two batters were retired. After another single put runners on the corners, the Ragin' Cajuns executed a double steal to take a 1-0 lead. South evened the game at one when Laird led off the fourth with his third home run of the season. A leadoff home run to right center by Jake Overstreet in the fifth put the Jaguars up 2-1.
But ULL broke the game open in the sixth with five runs on four hits. A leadoff single and double to the gap in left center tied the game at 2, then another single put runners on the corners. Jaguar starter Eric Gonzalez, who took his second straight loss to fall to 5-4, registered one of his eight strikeouts, then induced a likely double-play ball to shortstop Derek O'Reilly. But the junior had the ball hit right in the palm of his glove and trickle away, allowing the Ragin' Cajuns to go up 3-2. Matt Hicks hit the next pitch over the wall in left field for a 6-2 advantage.
South Alabama tried to rally, as Jernigan's home run led off the sixth. Laird followed with a single, then Kateon walked one out later to put men at first and second. O'Reilly singled to load the bases, but Overstreet flied out to shallow right and Kruml missed on a 1-2 pitch to end the threat.
ULL added an insurance run in the eighth and two in the ninth off reliever Travis Johnson for the final margin.
Moody (6-2) allowed three runs and walked two, while striking out five, in his eight innings of work to earn the win.
"We just didn't make the play tonight," Head Coach Steve Kittrell said of the costly error in the sixth. "It's a play that Derek normally makes. They hit a ball out of the yard for a three-run homer right after that and that's the way it's been going for us. When we make mistakes, we really pay for them. They make four errors but they didn't pay for them. Moody did a good job on the mound. He was steady and made only a few mistakes."
Game two of the series takes place tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. South Alabama will send Kevin Nabors to the mound, while ULL will counter with Danny Farquhar.
