Warhawks, Cajuns advance out of first round in Sun Belt Baseball Tournament
CONWAY, S.C. – No. 10 ULM used a six-run sixth inning and a three-run eighth-inning to pull away form No. 7 South Alabama, 12-7, in the first game of the 2019 Sun Belt Baseball Championship at Coastal Carolina.
ULM’s Joey Jordan went 5-for-6 in the contest, tying a tournament record with the five hits, two runs scored and an RBI. Andrew Beesley was 2-for-4 with two RBIs in the first three innings and Braedon Barrett added three hits for the Warhawks and drove in two runs.
Miles Dunn (4-0) earned the win for the Warhawks. Chase Lambert (2-2) earned the loss for the Jaguars who closed out their season with 30 wins and 26 losses.
Dakota Dailey and Michael Sandle recorded three hits for USA.
The win for ULM was its first tournament win since 2014 and advances the Warhawks to the double-elimination round. The Warhawks will face top-seeded Texas State on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
Kasuls Leads Ragin’ Cajuns Past Mountaineers in Sun Belt Tournament
CONWAY, S.C. – Hunter Kasuls two-out, two-run double in the bottom half of the sixth broke a 2-2 tie as eighth-seeded Louisiana went on to defeat No. 9 Appalachian State, 6-2, in the second elimination game of the 2019 Sun Belt Baseball Championship.
With one already on, Appalachian State’s Kaleb Bowman intentionally walked Louisiana’s Hayden Cantrelle and Kasuls delivered the two-base hit down the left field line scoring both Cantrelle and Kole McKinnon, who was on second. The hit knocked Bowman from the game who came on in relief of starter, Jason Cornatzer, who lasted just one inning, allowing two runs and issuing three walks.
Bowman pitched four and two-thirds without allowing a run before Kasuls’ hit in the sixth.
The loss knocks the Mountaineers from the tournament, their first as a member of the Sun Belt. The win gives the Ragin’ Cajuns new life as they now enter the double-elimination portion of the championship. Louisiana will face No. 2 Georgia Southern on Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. ET.
Kasuls, the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Week, totaled three RBI in the game with the double and a walk. Brennan Breaux and Cantrelle each had two hits for the Cajuns. Breaux also scored three runs and Cantrelle scored twice.
Luke Drumheller drove in the only earned run for the Mountaineers.
Louisiana’s Gunner Leger came on with two outs in the eighth and faced four batters, striking out three to earn his fourth save of the season. Austin Perrin (4-5) earned the win for the Cajuns.
Keith Nunez
