LAFAYETTE, Louisiana --- Houston Christian University jumped out to a big lead, then held on late for a 10-9 victory over No. 17 ranked University of Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday night at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
The Huskies hung a five in the fifth, then got what turned out to be a crucial final run in the seventh in beating the Rajun' Cajuns for the first time since 2021. It is the first win over a ranked opponent for HCU since taking three of four from 23
rd-ranked Sacramento State in 2022, and the highest ranked team the Huskies have defeated since posting a 2-1 victory at No. 8 University of Houston in 2015.
The Huskies wasted no time getting on the board, plating two runs in the opening frame. After back-to-back singles with one out by
Trevor Roper and
Samuel Benjamin,
Tyler LaRue doubled to right center to bring in Roper for the first run.
Ty Hodge then grounded out to third to score Benjamin and give HCU a 2-0 lead.
Two more came across in the third inning.
Trent Baker walked to lead off the frame and moved to third on a double down the left field line by Roper. Baker would come across the plate on an RBI groundout by Benjamin, and LaRue brought in Roper with a sacrifice fly to right field to push the Huskies lead to four. The Cajuns would scratch across a single tally in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead to three.
HCU would then put a huge crooked number on the scoreboard in the fifth. With one out, Baker singled up the middle and moved to second on walk to Roper. Benjamin was then plunked to load the bases.
Baker would race home on a passed ball, and Roper then scored on a wild pitch. LaRue then cranked a double to left to score Benjamin and the Huskies led 7-1.
The visitors weren't finished though, as just seconds after Benjamin crossed the plate,
Ty Hodge mashed the first pitch he saw to left, a prodigious blast that bounded off the top of an ad sign and into the woods. It was the third homer of the season for Hodge, and gave the Huskies an eight-run lead, 9-1 heading to the bottom of the fifth.
The Rajun' Cajuns would not go quietly into the Louisiana night however. ULL would get its own big inning, tacking a six-spot on the Huskies in the bottom of the same frame. The Cajuns took advantage of a couple of errors, with the big blow coming in the form of a pinch-hit, two-run double from Jackson Halter, as the hosts cut the lead to 9-7.
In the seventh,
Tyler LaRue was at it again, as his sharp single up the middle scored Benjamin, who had doubled with one gone. That run pushed the HCU lead to 10-7, and would ultimately prove to be the deciding tally in the contest.
HCU's lead was cut to one in the eighth when pinch-hitter Lee Amedee laced a triple to center field just out of the reach of Benjamin's valiant effort.
In the ninth, the Huskies would turn to
Jarek Wells, the ninth hurler used in this mid-week clash. Halter struck out swinging to begin the frame, but Luke Yuhasz would reach on a base on balls. Kyle Debarge then reached on a fielder's choice as Yuhasz was erased at second. After Duncan Pastore was hit by a pitch, Wells got Conor Higgs swinging on a nasty pitch in on the hands to shut the door and put a capper on the upset victory.
The Huskies put 10 on the board on nine hits, becoming just the fourth team this season to notch a double-figure run total on the Cajuns.
Tyler LaRue went 3-4 with four RBI, his fourth three-hit game of the season. It was the 10
th multi-RBI game of the year for LaRue, and third such with four or more.
Samuel Benjamin and
Trevor Roper each went 2-4 with three runs scored.
Trent Baker and
Ty Hodge each went 1-4, with Baker scoring twice and Hodge bringing home three runs with the first-inning RBI groundout and the two-run jack in the fifth.
Zach Ryan, the second of the nine pitchers for HCU, earned the win, his first of the season.
Brayden Gilley was the opener and went two innings.
Brock Shoffner got the Huskies out of the fifth and went 1.2 total giving up just one hit and one unearned, while
Christian Diaz pitched a scoreless seventh. Wells earned his first career save with the goose egg in the final stanza.
Starter Blake McGehee (2-2) took the loss for Louisiana-Lafayette, now 31-12 overall. He gave up the opening two runs and went two frames. Matthew Holzhammer struck out five in two innings of relief and Carson Fluno went the final 2.2 innings holding HCU scoreless down the stretch.
The Rajun' Cajuns had 10 hits on the night, with John Taylor going 2-3 with three runs and Caleb Stelly going 2-4 with a run and an RBI.
HCU improves to 15-25 with its second win in two days. The Huskies now head up Highway 49 to continue their Louisiana trip with a stop in Natchitoches for a three-game Southland Conference series over the weekend at Northwestern State University.
The two teams are nearly identical on the year, tied for sixth in the SLC at 6-9 while NSU is 15-26 overall on the season. HCU took two of three from the Demons last season, winning 14-13 and 14-7 before falling 16-5 in the series finale.
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