LAFAYETTE, La. — The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team hit a rough patch this week, falling in two hard-fought midweek contests against UTRGV and Louisiana Tech. With a demanding five-game schedule, the Cajuns (16-20, 7-5 Sun Belt) couldn’t find their rhythm, dropping a 9-7 decision to the UTRGV Vaqueros on Tuesday at M.L. “Tigue” Moore Field at Russo Park and a 10-7 loss to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs on Wednesday in Ruston.

Tuesday: UTRGV Strikes Early, Holds On Late

The week started with a challenging matchup against a UTRGV squad (22-10, 12-4 Southland) that’s been turning heads in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association polls. The Vaqueros wasted no time, as leadoff hitter Isaac Lopez crushed the game’s first pitch from Louisiana’s Blake McGehee over the left-field wall for a solo home run. UTRGV built a 3-0 lead in the first, capitalizing on a walk, a single, and timely hitting from Steven Lancia and Thomas Williams.

Louisiana fought back, clawing within 4-1 in the second on an Owen Galt RBI single and tying the game at 5-5 by the fifth, thanks to Conor Higgs’ bat and some opportunistic base running. However, the seventh inning proved costly. Freshman reliever Wil Taylor struggled, committing two errors and issuing a walk and a hit-by-pitch, allowing UTRGV to plate two runs without a hit to take a 7-6 lead. The Vaqueros tacked on two more in the eighth, while Louisiana’s offense mustered two runs late but couldn’t close the gap.

“We’ve got some growing up to do,” head coach Matt Deggs said postgame. “Errors and pitching miscues hurt us tonight. It’s sink or swim, and we’ve got to figure it out fast.”

Lancia led UTRGV, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and throwing out three Cajun base stealers. Lopez added a 3-for-6 night with his homer. For Louisiana, Higgs and Galt paced the offense, but McGehee (3-4, 8.31 ERA) took the loss after allowing five runs over four innings.

Wednesday: Louisiana Tech Pulls Away in Ruston

Hoping to rebound, Louisiana traveled to J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park to face Louisiana Tech (21-12, 5-4 C-USA). The Bulldogs, fresh off a loss to No. 7 LSU, brought their bats and took advantage of a shaky Cajun pitching staff.

Louisiana struck first, jumping to a 2-0 lead in the second on a Caleb Stelly double and a sacrifice fly. Tech answered with three runs in the third, powered by a two-run homer from Ethan Bates. The Cajuns battled back to tie it at 4-4 in the fifth, with Higgs again contributing an RBI single, but the Bulldogs’ offense erupted for four runs in the sixth, highlighted by a Cole McConnell triple and a wild pitch.

Despite a late push, including a two-run seventh fueled by a Jose Torres single, Louisiana couldn’t overcome Tech’s bullpen. The Bulldogs added two insurance runs in the eighth, sealing the 10-7 final.

“We showed fight, but we’ve got to clean up the mistakes,” Deggs noted. “Giving up big innings like that on the road is tough to overcome.”

Bates and McConnell combined for five RBIs for Tech, while Louisiana’s pitching staff issued six walks and allowed 12 hits. Stelly and Torres led the Cajuns with two hits apiece, but the loss dropped Louisiana to three games below .500.

Looking Ahead

The midweek setbacks sting, but there’s no time to dwell with a weekend series against ULM looming. The Cajuns head to Monroe for a three-game Sun Belt set starting Friday at 6 p.m., aiming to regain momentum in conference play. With a talented roster featuring standouts like Higgs (.317, 10 HRs) and Chase Morgan, Louisiana has the tools to bounce back—but tightening up defensively and on the mound will be key.

“We’re a resilient group,” Deggs said. “This week didn’t go our way, but we’ll be ready to compete in Monroe. That’s what this team does.”