EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice split its Saturday doubleheader with Baton Rouge at Bengal Stadium.  The Bengals (36-4) finished its first leg of in-state series with BRCC, Nunez CC and Delgado CC 11-1.  LSUE will embark on another three weeks of home-and-home series with those Louisiana teams this week with Nunez CC on Wednesday.
 
The home run was king for the day as the two sides combined for eight long balls.  Baton Rouge's hit three homers late to ward off LSUE in a 12-9 setback for the Bengals in the opener.  Ayden Makarus (Okotoks, Alberta, Canada, Foothills Composite HS) blasted a pair of round trippers to help guide LSUE to an 8-0 victory to cap off the four-game series.
 
The setback in the opener snapped an 18-game win streak for LSU Eunice, the sixth longest streak in program history.
 
LSUE is back in action on Monday as the Bengals host Panola College at 3:00PM.
 
Game 1 vs. Baton Rouge CC – L, 9-12
A late home run flurry from Baton Rouge CC was too much for LSU Eunice to overcome as the Bengals fell 12-9 to open the double header.
 
BRCC knocked three long balls in the final three innings to regain the lead after the Bengals roared back to tie the game 7-7 in the 6th inning.
 
The two sides went back and forth throughout, with the Bears taking a 7-3 lead in the fifth.  After Scott Jones (Sulphur, LA, Sulphur HS) brought in Hunter Tabb (Scott, LA, Acadiana HS) on a sacrifice fly in the fifth, LSUE crossed three runs in the sixth including back-to-back RBI base hits from Peyton LeJeune (Church Point, LA, Teurlings Catholic HS) and Jack Merrifield (Prairieville, LA, Dutchtown HS).
 
LSUE jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first before a six-run spurt for the Bears.
 
Merrifield, Tabb and Beau Kirsch (Lafayette, LA, Acadiana HS) had multi-hit games with Merrifield driving in a team-high three runs.
 
Game 2 vs. Baton Rouge CC – W, 8-0
Ayden Makarus blasted a pair of home runs and Cade Hart pitched a six inning jewel to lift LSU Eunice to an 8-0 win over Baton Rouge CC.  It was the Bengals' eighth shutout of the season.
 
Makarus put LSUE on the board in the second inning with an opposite field two-run home run.  The Canadian import would add a solo home run in the fourth to make it 4-0 LSUE.  The two long balls upped his yearly total to nine this season, second most on the team and tied for 14th nationally.
 
That was all Cade Hart (Shreveport, LA, Calvary Baptist HS) would need as the freshman improved to 3-1 on the campaign.  Hart logged six shutout innings, giving up four hits and two walks.  He would sit down the Bears in order twice, allowing five BRCC baserunners to reach scoring position.  The defense helped Hart by turning a pair of double plays.
 
Jacob Hammond (Monroe, LA, Ouachita HS) gave up one hit and a walk in his one inning of relief.
 
LSUE used a three-run fifth inning to push its lead to eight runs, headlined by a two-run single by Brady Hebert (Baton Rouge, LA, Catholic-Baton Rouge HS).
 
Makarus was joined by Jack Merrifield as the long Bengals with multi-hit games in LSUE's 11-hit output.