EUNICE, La. – LSU Eunice Baseball outscored Monroe 6-1 down the stretch as the Bengals won their weekend opener with the Mustangs 11-6 on Friday at Bengal Stadium. LSUE (7-0) would hold commanding leads throughout the game, sandwiched between a four-run frame that would temporarily tie the game.
The first inning was a sign of things to come in this wild night as Monroe's Andres Castro scored the first run of the night with a towering solo home run to left field. The Bengals answered right back with two runs in the first including the first of three RBI's from
Peyton LeJeune (Church Point, LA, Teurlings Catholic HS).
LeJeune led the offensive cause for the Bengals with a 4-for-6 outing, driving in three runs and scoring once with a pair of doubles.
The rest of the Bengals offense would capitalize on 13 free passes throughout the night and put the pressure on the Monroe defense with 11 stolen bases.
Michael Fontenot (Kinder, LA, Kinder HS) led the Bengals in both categories with three walks and three stolen bases on the night.
Both would come into play in the third inning. LSUE jumped out to a 5-1 lead with a three-run inning, using four walks and four stolen bases in the frame to play all their runs without a base hit.
Reed Eason (West Monroe, LA, West Monroe HS) drove in a pair of runs in the frame with a two-run squeeze bunt that would plate Fontenot and
Christian Gonzales (Breaux Bridge, LA, Breaux Bridge HS).
Monroe would return the favor in the sixth, using three walks to score four runs and tie the game.
That would just wake up the Bengal bats as LSUE would score in each of its final three at bats. LeJeune and Fontenot would each drive in a run in the bottom half of the sixth to give the Bengals the lead back for good.
LeJeune would add an RBI double in the seventh, followed by a three-run eighth inning. Christian Gonzalez and Reed Eason both drove in a run in that frame, Eason also scoring on one of five Mustang errors.
The late offensive fireworks spoiled a sterling night on the mound for
Cade Hart (Shreveport, LA, Calvary Baptist HS). The LSUE starter dominated the Mustangs in five innings, scattering one earned run off four hits and a walk with seven strikeouts.
Drew Lasseigne (Greenwell Springs, LA, Central HS) picked up the win after two innings of scoreless relief.
Dalton Burrell (Bossier City, LA, Airline HS),
Miles Clack (Katy, TX, Seven Lake HS) and
Jackson Rodriguez (Kingwood, TX, Kingwood Park HS) also helped the Bengal pitchers combine for 12 strikeouts, the team's sixth game of recording double-digit punchouts.
LSU Eunice and Monroe College will meet for a Saturday doubleheader starting at 1:00PM. Both games can be seen on the LSUE Digital Network presented by Opelousas General Health.
