For the third straight year, the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns will get to play for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship.

The Cajuns defeated Texas State 3-0 and 6-2 to complete their drive through the winners bracket and will play #1 seed South Alabama for the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament Sunday at 1pm at Riddle-Pace Field in Troy, Alabama.

Louisiana (38-21) got seven strong innings from freshman Wyatt Marks in game one and 6.1 innings from Will Bacon in the second game, while Freshman Dylan Moore recorded the save in each game.

GAME ONE--LOUISIANA 3, TEXAS STATE 0

Marks(6-1) scattered four hits through seven innings and only allowed one man to reach scoring position as he and Moore recorded the shutout.  Marks walked three and struck out eight, exiting after a leadoff double by Derek Scheible.  Moore came in and got a strikeout, ground ball and fly ball to end Texas State's only threat.  He retired the side in order in the ninth for his tenth save..

The Cajuns got on the board in the.third against Texas State starter Cory Geisler (2-2) in the fourth when Blake Trahan singled and was sacrificed to second by Kyle Clement.  Stefan Trosclair was hit by a pitch and Trahan scored on Tyler Girouard's double off the right field wall.  Even Powell's sacrifice fly delivered Trosclair and the Cajuns led 2-0.  Louisiana increased its lead in the seventh on a single by Greg Davis, a sacrifice by Joe Robbins and Trahan's RBI single.

GAME TWO--LOUISIANA 6, TEXAS STATE 2

Nick Thurman's two run double in the eighth inning broke open a close game and the Cajuns' added an insurance run in the ninth to lead the Cajuns to the game two win.

Tyler Girouard singled with one out and Even Powell walked against starter Lucas Humpel (5-7)  Thurman then greeted reliever Braden Pearson with a drive into the right center gap to score both runners and give the Cajuns a 5-2 lead.  Stefan Trosclair's RBI single in the ninth added the final run.

The Cajuns got a pair of unearned runs in the first inning, and got another run in the third on an RBI groundout by Girouard.   But Texas State finally got on the board against Bacon when Derek Scheible was hit by a pitch with one out.  Luke Sherley singled and Scheible scored on Cory Geisler's single.  But Geisler was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a double.  That proved to be big as Cedric Vallieres doubled to score Sherley to cut the lead to 3-2 before Bacon got Tanner Hill to pop up for the third out.

Bacon left after Scheible singled to lead off the seventh and Sherley sacrificed.  Moore got Geisler to fly out and struck out Vallieres to end the inning.

Colby Targun walked to start the ninth and after Sheible popped up, pinch hitter Teddy Hoffman doubled to put runners at second and third.  Moore struck out Geisler but walked Vallieres to load the bases before Granger Studdard grounded out to end the game and secure Moore's eleventh save, which tied the single season record set by Matt Hicks in 2013.

 

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