Chase Morgan magnificent on mound un Cajuns’ 1-0 win over Marshall

LAFAYETTE – Freshman Chase Morgan allowed one hit and struck out a career-best 11 batters in 8.0 solid innings of work while No. 19-ranked Louisiana scored all the runs it would need on a third-inning fielder’s choice for an efficient 1-0 victory over Marshall in a Sun Belt Conference game Saturday afternoon at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park.

Kyle DeBarge went 3-for-4 at the plate with Maddox Mandino driving in the game’s lone run as Louisiana (27-9, 13-1 SBC) set a school-record for most consecutive wins in conference games while moving to within one game of the SBC record (14) set by South Florida in 1986.

The final game of the three-game series is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ with fans able to listen to the game in the Lafayette area on KPEL-FM (96.5) and worldwide on the Varsity Network app.

Carson Fluno (1-0, 2.81 ERA) will start on the mound for Louisiana with Marshall countering with right-hander Carter Lyles (0-2, 4.68 ERA).

Morgan (4-1) and JT Etheridge combined on the first one-hit shutout by the Ragin’ Cajuns since Jack Burk, Will Moriarty, Peyton Havard and David Christie defeated Coastal Carolina on March 29, 2021.

The left-hander, who entered the game third among SBC pitchers in ERA (2.34), matched SBC-ERA leader Bryce Blevins (1.68) pitch for pitch in an anticipated pitcher’s duel. Morgan posted his first quality start of his collegiate career for Louisiana and the second of the weekend for the Ragin’ Cajuns after Andrew Herrmann’s 6.1-inning, one-run performance in Friday’s 3-1 win.

Morgan, who lowered his ERA on the season to a team-low 1.90, allowed a one-out double to Marshall’s Owen Ayers in the first inning before allowing three base runners, all on walks, the remainder of the game.

“He’s effectively wild a little bit with his fastball which that will knock a hitter off his mark because he keeps coming back in the counts,” Louisiana head coach Matt Deggs said. “He was able to land a breaking ball and a change-up anytime he wants.

“I was going to let him finish it, but we got a little bit of an extended inning in the eighth and he got to 110 (pitch count) and the last thing I wanted to do was leave him getting to 120. He hadn’t been there for us.”

Morgan didn’t allow a runner past second as he got a strikeout and flyball in the first after Ayers’ double.

Marshall’s AJ Havarilla reached on a one-out walk in the second before Morgan came back with a strikeout and flyball, Elijah Vogelsong reached second after a walk and stolen base in the fourth before Ayers drew a one-out walk in the sixth.

Morgan would get Gio Ferraro to ground out to first before striking out Vogelsong, beginning a streak of eight straight batters retired before Etheridge set Marshall (12-21, 5-9 SBC) down in order in the ninth for his first save of the season.

Louisiana, which recorded seven hits and stranded seven runners on base, scored the game’s only run in the third after Conor Higgs drew a leadoff walk – the lone free pass issued by Blevins (2-1) – before moving to third on John Taylor’s single up the middle.

Mandino then beat out a potential inning-ending, double play on a grounder to second before DeBarge reached on an infield single.

“We were just able to scrape a run together right there,” Deggs said. “I will credit our hitters, as good as Blevins was today, we did bit a lot of balls hard.”

Louisiana stranded two runners on in the fourth inning as Blevins got Jose Torres to ground into an inning-ending fielder’s choice before Higgs would be stranded at third in the seventh after a two-out flyball to left.

Blevins fanned 10 batters in his second complete-game of the season for the Thundering Herd while his ERA crept up to 1.76.

Tickets for Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Baseball are available for purchase on-line at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685).