March 26, 2002

LAFAYETTE, La. - Relief pitcher Kelly Comarda struck out a career-high seven batters, and left fielder Bryan Stelmack went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored, but it was not enough as the Tulane University baseball team dropped a 12-2 decision to in-state foe Louisiana-Lafayette Tuesday evening at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.

The Ragin' Cajuns out-hit Tulane 13-5, including a pair of home runs, and stole a season-high nine bases to improve to 17-9 on the year. The loss, Tulane's fifth consecutive defeat, drops the Green Wave to 13-13 overall.

The Cajuns jumped all over starter Ray Liotta as James Wilson laced a double to leadoff the bottom of the first and came around to score on an RBI groundout by Brad Saloom. In the next at-bat, Bryan Sneed hit a wind-aided homer over the wall in right center to make it 2-0.

Then, in the second, Dallas Morris hit a bloop single that the wind blew back into play and scored on a hit-and-run double by Wilson. Corey Coles brought Wilson home with an RBI double of his own and advanced to third on an errant pickoff throw by Liotta. After walking Saloom and plunking Sneed to load the bases, Liotta was replaced by Comarda who gave up a two-RBI double before striking out the next two to get out of the inning.

The Green Wave got on the board in the fourth when Gerald Clark drew a two out walk, went to second on a single up the middle by catcher Scott Madden and scored on a shot down the left field line by leftfielder Bryan Stelmack. But the two-out rally was snuffed out one batter later when Brad Rosenblat's bloop to right was snared by a diving Coles.

The Cajuns, however, would get the run back in the home half of the frame without the benefit of a hit as Saloom drew a leadoff walk, stole second and advanced a pair of bases on back-to-back balks by Comarda. It was similar situation in the fifth when Chase Lambin led off the frame with a double and scored on back-to-back Comarda wild pitches to make it 8-1.

Tulane had a chance for a big inning in the seventh when Stelmack laced a double to left center to lead off the inning and pinch hitter Anthony Giarratano drew a one-out walk before centerfielder Jon Kaplan ripped a double in the gap in right center to score Stelmack, but reliever Kraig Schambough forced Turner Brumby to foul out and James Jurries to groundout to second to end the frame with the Green Wave plating just one run.

That would be as close as Tulane would get however as UL-Lafayette would plate a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh off Andrew Corona and another deuce in the eighth on a two-run homer by Justin Bourque off Dirck Hoagland to close out the scoring.