LAFAYETTE, LA – In the final game of the weekend series at Louisiana, the Wright State baseball program fell short to the Ragin' Cajuns 5-3 after a late inning comeback by the hosts.
 
The game was off to a slow start, with the Raiders recording three hits - infield singles from Jay Luikart and Andrew Patrick, along with a double down the right field line by Dane Thomas - and two Cajuns hits over the first three innings. WSU took an initial lead in the fourth inning on Gus Gregory's two-run homer over the right field wall for his first collegiate homer. The Cajuns reacted with a RBI single in the fifth by Kyle DeBarge to put one run to the board and tied the game in the sixth on John Taylor's home run into right center.
 
Louisiana took the lead in the eighth, with back-to-back solo homers from Luke Yuhasz and Clay Wargo and a final run on Josh Alexander's RBI double to lead 5-2. The Raiders tried to mount a rally in the ninth, plating a run when Gregory walked and then advanced on another walk before scoring on Julian Greenwell's single down the right field line. Wright State had a pair of runners on but Luikart flew out to end the game and the series.
 
The Raiders put up several big defensive plays in the outfield, with Patrick ending the fifth frame by stealing a hit at the center field wall to prevent two Cajuns from scoring, and ending the sixth in similar fashion with Thomas' running catch to save two runs. The defense was not only in the outfield though, with the Raiders turning a big double play to end the seventh and keep the game tied at two at that point after the Cajuns had two on and one out.
 
The Raiders used six pitchers in the ballgame, with Josh Laisure opening the first 4.1 innings, allowing one run on four hits with two walks and one strikeout. Mychal Grogan allowed one run on three hits with a strikeout over 1.2 innings before Duke Benge was charged with the game loss after allowing the Cajuns' seventh inning back-to-back homers.
 
WSU finished the day with six hits, led by Greenwell's two, as Gregory, Luikart, Patrick, and Thomas each recorded one for the Raiders. Gregory led with two RBI from his home run in the fourth, followed by Greenwell with one RBI after his single in the ninth.
 
Matthew Holzhammer, the fifth pitcher for the Cajuns, pitched one inning and was awarded the win after recording three strikeouts in the eighth. LP Langevin was given the save after entering in the ninth and only allowing one run to maintain the Louisiana lead. The Cajuns ended the afternoon with 11 hits and six strikeouts, led by the homers from Taylor, Wargo, and Yuhasz.

The Raiders will play again next weekend in a four-game weekend series at Oklahoma, with all four contests expected to be streamed on ESPN+.