Cardiac Cajuns reach Houston Regional final

HOUSTON - They head to the final inning, they're not leading and yet they hardly seem concerned.

Not these Ragin' Cajuns.

Not lately.

The UL baseball team won Sunday after a third straight crazy conclusion, this time beating host Houston 2-1 with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning of their NCAA Houston Regional winners bracket game at Cougar Field here.

The victory leaves the 41-21 Cajuns one victory shy of an NCAA Super Regional berth, which they can claim with a win Monday.

"We always keep coming," senior right fielder Dylan Butler, "no matter what happens during the game. … Coach (Tony Robichaux) always says, 'We're gonna have our inning,' and we had it.

"We truly believe that it's gonna happen for us," Butler added. "Throughout the whole team – freshman, sophomore, junior, senior – everybody in that dugout believes it's gonna happen. We don't know when, we don't know why, but we believe it's gonna happen."

And it did Sunday.

Again.

The Cajuns rallied with five runs in the ninth to beat Rice 7-6 in their Regional opener Friday, and they won the Sun Belt Conference Tournament on a 12th-inning grand slam by Trosclair last Sunday to win a Regional bid.

This time, UL designated hitter Tyler Girouard was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing in Joe Robbins with the winning run – but only after a scare that would do in many clubs.

Not this one, though.

"That's the maturity of this team," Robichaux said of his Cajuns, the Regional's No. 3 seed. "They understand not to get spooked in a close game."

"We're staying in games," Girouard added, "and then when we have an opportunity to go and take the game we do."

The early fright for UL on Sunday: Houston true-freshman lefty Seth Romero threw a one-hitter through eighth innings as the Cougars got a first-inning home run, then tried to cling to the thin lead in an eventual two-hitter.

After Romero walked Butler to open the bottom of the ninth, true freshman Aaron Fletcher entered in relief.

That's when things began unraveling for Houston, the Regional's No. 1 seed.

"We knew he (Romero) was close to coming out," Robichaux said. "We felt if we could get this thing tied we could take our chance with the next pitcher."

Blake Trahan's sacrifice bunt off Fletcher moved Butler to second and Robbins reached E6 – Connor Wong first looked to Butler trying to get to third, and his throw to first wasn't in time – to put Cajuns on first and third with one out.

Butler scored from third by beating Fletcher's throw home on a Kyle Clement bunt, tying the game 1-1.

"Once Coach gave the squeeze," Butler said, "I knew I had to get there, and luckily he (Cougars catcher Ian Rice) dropped the ball, and I slid to the right of the plate. Honestly, I don't even know if he would have caught it if I would have been out."

He would not have.

But Butler was happy to see the ball fall nonetheless.

"I appreciate him dropping it," he said.

Shortly thereafter, Butler dropped his buddy Clement.

"He got a big tackle after the game," Butler said. "He had a rough day at the plate (0-for-3, all strikeouts). Everybody had a rough day at the plate. But we just coming, and he did his job."

So did Girouard, simply by taking one for the team – smack-dab on his right side, with the count 1-1.

Stefan Trosclair loaded the bases for UL with an infield single after Butler scored, and UL won when Fletcher hit Girouard, who flung his bat high into the air in celebration, almost taking out Cajuns assistant coach Jeremy Talbot.

"Once I threw it," Girouard said, "I kind of saw it I kind of freaked out a little bit. … Next time I'll have a better reaction."

"I thought our hitters did a good job of not panicking throughout the game," Robichaux added. "The guy (Romero) was doing some special things out there, and what you want to do is keep your body language (positive). Don't feel sorry for yourself. Offset it with pitching and defense."

Leger and Greg Milhorn helped address that.

Leger gave up a two-out solo home run to left to Chris Iriart in the top of the first, then got out of whatever trouble he faced.

Milhorn allowed just two its over the final 3.0 innings.

"He (Milhorn) been pitching lights-out for us a senior," Robichaux said. "Those two guys did a great job. That's not an easy thing to do, man – to take down the guy we took down."

Romero retired the first 13 Cajuns he faced before walking Girouard, who soon was out trying to steal second.

After Evan Powell flew out on a foul ball, Romero – the American Athletic Conference's Freshman of the Year – still had faced the minimum.

That remained the case until the bottom of the eighth, when Powell broke up his no-hitter with a two-out single to left.

Houston earlier thought it had Powell out 2-3, but the play was ruled a foul ball.

Greg Davis walked after Powell singled, but Cajuns on first second and second – but Romero struck out Nick Thurman to end the inning.

Leger, meanwhile, got out of a bases-loaded jam in the second with fly ball to Powell in left and a first-and-second jam in the sixth with a strikeout and a pop fly to Trahan at short.

During a stretch from late in the second to early in the sixth, though, Leger retired 11 straight. Milhorn entered in the seventh and promptly retired the side in order.

Two one-out singles and a fielder's choice put Cougars on second and third in the top of the eighth, but Milhorn escaped that jam with a fly ball to centerfield and he retired the side in order in the top of the ninth, setting up another wacky-ending win for UL.

"Coach always says, 'Stay in the ballgame until the last out is made,' " Butler said, "and we fought until the end."

The Cajuns listened.

As a result, Houston had to play Rice in a losers-bracket game Sunday night.

Rice advanced to that game by beating Houston Baptist 3-1 earlier Sunday, eliminating HBU from the four-team, double-elimination Regional.

UL advances to Monday's 1 p.m. championship-round game against the Houston-Rice winner. The Cajuns can win the Regional title with a win in that game. Otherwise, the same two teams would meet again at 6 p.m. Monday here.