SAN MARCOS, Texas (5/25/16) – The Arkansas State baseball team had top-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette on the ropes Wednesday night at Bobcat Ballpark in San Marcos, Texas, but a three-run home run by Kyle Clement broke a 4-4 tie in the bottom of the eighth and gave the Ragin' Cajuns a 7-4 victory in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

The Red Wolves (27-28) struck out a school-record 20 times, but were able to score four runs off of Louisiana-Lafayette (38-19) pitching and see the game tied 4-4 in the eighth. A lead-off walk by Coulton Lee resulted in A-State turning to Tyler Zuber. The first batter Zuber faced popped up a bunt that fell for the Cajuns' third bunt single of the game. He was able to strike out Joe Robbins, but Clement hit a first-pitch fastball over the right-field wall for the decisive round-tripper.

Lee took the loss, but pitched 2.2 innings and gave up the lone run on three hits, but he did walk four batters. Starter Cody Jackson lasted 4.1 and gave up four runs (three earned) and also walked four while only striking out one.

A-State made ULL starter Gunner Leger work with 100 pitches in five innings, but he struck out a career-high 10 batters and allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits. Eric Carter was fantastic out of the bullpen for Louisiana-Lafayette after A-State scored one run off of Jevin Huval in one-third of an inning. Carter pitched the final 3.2 innings and earned the win after allowing no hits with nine strikeouts and no walks. The only A-State baserunner to reach off Carter was on a hit-by-pitch.

Daltan Lovell hit his second career home run, a solo shot, to tie the game in the sixth inning off of Huval, while Tony Ortiz followed with his first career triple. Carter entered with one out and struck out Ty White and Joe Schrimpf to strand the go-ahead run. Ortiz led the team with two hits and had the only other RBI on the team other than Lovell.

Louisiana-Lafayette was led at the plate by Clement's four RBI, while Hunter Kasuls and Brenn Conrad had two hits apiece.

Both teams traded runs in the first inning with the Red Wolves picking up their run when White scored on a wild pitch after leading off the game with a single. Louisiana-Lafayette struck back with an unearned run when Joe Robbins scored Kasuls on a RBI ground out. Kasuls led the game off with a single and advanced to third after an error by center fielder Garrett Rucker.

The Ragin' Cajuns scored three runs in the bottom of the third inning to take a 4-1 advantage. Alex Pinero walked and two straight bunt singles loaded the bases before a bases-loaded walk from Jackson plated the first run. ULL added the other two runs on a sacrifice fly and RBI ground out for the three-run edge.

Arkansas State scored two unearned runs in the top of the fourth after Tanner Ring scored on an error by the Cajuns and Ortiz knocked in a run with a base hit up-the-middle to score Jeremy Brown.

The Red Wolves play Troy in an elimination game May 26 at 12:30 p.m. The game can be watched on ESPN3.

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