After going 8-1 in its previous nine conference games, App State baseball faltered in its final home series of the season, losing two of three games to the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. The Mountaineers bounced back from an extra-innings loss Friday night with a 5-run victory Saturday, but the Ragin’ Cajuns pulled away in the rubber match Sunday.
The series opener Friday started slow for the Mountaineers’ offense, getting shut out through the first six innings. Louisiana took a 3-0 lead courtesy of an RBI single in the second inning and 2 sacrifice flies in the third and the seventh innings.
Junior outfielder Drew DuPont scored App State’s first run in the bottom of the seventh inning, sprinting home on an errant throw by Louisiana’s catcher. Senior outfielder Charlie Evans made it a 1-run game shortly after, smacking an RBI single to left field that drove in freshman outfielder Nico Soul.
The Ragin’ Cajuns added an insurance run at the top of the ninth inning on their third sacrifice fly of the game. App State sparked a rally in the bottom of the ninth by loading the bases, though it came with a scary scene as redshirt junior first baseman Jalen Seward was hit in the helmet by a pitch but was able to walk off the field.
Graduate student infielder Steven Smith drove in a run on a fielder’s choice, and two batters later, sophomore infielder Ethan Puig forced in the tying run when he was plunked. The Mountaineers had a chance to walk it off, but junior designated hitter Kameron Miller struck out looking, sending the game to the tenth inning.
Louisiana catcher Colt Brown hit a go-ahead single with 2 outs in the tenth to retake the lead, and the Mountaineers failed to get a runner on base in the extra inning and lost 5-4.
Saturday was headlined by senior weekend celebrations, with numerous players getting framed jerseys and photos highlighting their time at App State.
The game was scoreless heading into the fourth inning as junior right-handed pitcher Gage Peterson and Ragin’ Cajuns left-handed pitcher Andrew Herrmann were dialed in on the mound. Louisiana broke the tie in the top of the fourth when Brown launched a solo home run to center field, but the Mountaineers responded in the bottom of the fourth with an RBI single by sophomore utility player Riley Luft.
Louisiana regained the lead in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice fly, but it was short-lived as the Black and Gold quickly answered in the bottom half of the inning. Evans singled to lead off the inning, stole second base and advanced to third on a throwing error, then scored when Luft looped a base hit over the shortstop. Puig ripped a single to left field, then senior infielder Jake Mummau smashed a 2-run double to right center, giving the Mountaineers a 4-2 lead.
App State added 3 more runs in the eighth inning. Miller hit a line-drive RBI double, and freshman catcher Colton Denton drove in a pair of runs with a single up the middle.
The first two batters of the ninth inning got on base for the Ragin’ Cajuns, but redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Max Tramontana — who walked across the graduation stage earlier in the day — struck out the next two batters and induced a groundout to secure the 7-2 victory for the Mountaineers.
While the series finale Sunday featured more senior weekend festivities for the team’s graduates, the game did not go App State’s way as they lost 12-3. Louisiana scored half a dozen runs in the first 2 innings. They plated a couple on a 2-RBI single in the first inning and 4 runs in the second on 2 home runs, a solo blast to left field and a 3-run shot down the left field line.
Luft hammered a 2-run home run to left center in the bottom of the third inning, but the Ragin’ Cajuns countered with a 6-run fourth inning that put the game out of reach for the Mountaineers.
Miller hit an RBI single in the seventh to prevent a run-rule loss, but Louisiana cruised to a 9-run win to take the series.
With the loss Sunday, App State suffered its first series loss since being swept by Southern Mississippi University March 27-29. Despite the setback, the Black and Gold currently hold the No. 3 seed in the conference standings, though a 6-way tie for the No. 3 seed is a possibility heading into the last weekend of the regular season.
The Mountaineers have one final test before the Sun Belt tournament as they travel to Atlanta to face Georgia State University for a three-game series beginning Thursday. App State needs two wins to clinch head coach Kermit Smith’s 700th career victory. First pitch Thursday is slated for 6 p.m., and all three games will stream live on ESPN+.
