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The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball team’s run of consecutive Sun Belt Tournament championships ended Friday night as the Cajuns were stunned by host Georgia Southern, 7-6, in 11 innings at J.I. Clement Stadium.
The Eagles (37-20) outhit the Ragin’ Cajuns (35-21-1) 13-8, with Logan Baldwin posting a game-high three hits with a home run and four RBIs.
Zach LaFleur, Kennon Fontenot and Handsome Monica each had two hits for Louisiana. LaFleur reached base in five of his six at bats, while junior Steven Sensley extended his on-base streak to 26 games.
Junior Gunner Leger was strong on the mound, limiting Georgia Southern to one run in seven innings on six hits with seven strikeouts in a no decision.
Reliever Evan Guillory (4-3) suffered the loss after surrendering one run on two hits and three walks in 2 innings.
Junior Wyatt Marks reached 100 strikeouts this season after tossing a scoreless eighth inning with three strikeouts.
Seth Shuman (8-0) notched the victory for the Eagles with two scoreless frames to conclude the contest.
The Cajuns jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first when Fontenot drove a two-out single to right-center to plate Sensley for a 1-0 Louisiana lead.
Monica extended the lead to 3-0 in the bottom of the second inning, sending his fourth home run of the season over the left-center fence for a two-run homer.
The Eagles got on the board in the top of the fourth on a leadoff solo home run to centerfield by Tyler Martin to cut the lead to 3-1.
Louisiana got the run back in the bottom of the sixth on a solo homer to left-center by Brad Antchak to increase the Cajuns’ advantage to 4-1. The home run was Antchak’s second this season.
Later in the inning, Brenn Conrad lined a two-out single to right field to plate Monica and make the score 5-1.
The Ragin’ Cajuns held Georgia Southern scoreless until the ninth inning when Evan McDonald sent a bases-loaded, RBI single through the infield’s left side to cut the lead to 5-2.
After Steven Curry struck out for the inning’s first out, Baldwin drove an 0-1 pitch off Colten Schmidt over the wall down the right field line for a grand slam to put the Eagles up 6-5.
The Cajuns answered in the bottom of the ninth as Joe Robbins scored on an error by McDonald at shortstop with two outs to even the contest. Pinch runner Jam Williams was thrown out at the plate on the play to end the inning and send the game into extra innings.
After a scoreless 10th inning, Georgia Southern regained the lead in the top of the 11th on an RBI double to right-center by Jordan Wren for a 7-6 Eagles lead.
Shuman retired the Cajuns in the bottom of the 11th, getting pinch hitter Tyler Stover to strike out to end the game.
Friday’s game was the last for Berwick High alum and UL-Lafayette senior pitcher Chris Charpentier.

A Community “A Fair” Carnival will kick off Thursday at the former Brown’s Shopping Center in Franklin, 1808 Main St.
Opening ceremony is at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, June 7, where Franklin Healthcare Center will be honored. The carnival opens after the ceremony.
There will be food, games, rides and music Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The carnival opens at noon Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, and closes at 10 p.m. Thursday, at 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 6 p.m. Sunday. There’ll also be bingo, gospel singers and more.
It will run through Sunday. Tickets are available in advance for $20 and gate tickets are $25. Individual tickets can be purchased for $1. Rides require 2-4 tickets.
Visitors may exchange an advance ticket of $20 at the ticket booth for a wrist band. Wrist bands allow them to ride all day, and expire one hour before closing.
Contact Belinda Roberson for tickets sale at 337-967-1061

BY JANELL PARFAIT
The St. Mary Parish Chamber of Commerce hosted a luncheon at The Forest on Wednesday for the parish’s mayors and leaders to give updates on their respective communities.
Representing Bayou Vista’s recreation district, Stan Robison was a speaker.
The Spray Park opened for the season on Saturday. However, Sundays will be reserved for private parties. Robison considers the skate park, which opened in 2013 to be “a great success.” There is also an 18-hole miniature golf course, Noah’s Adventures Mini Golf.
“So we have a lot of things going on for the community,” Robison said. “We have a new project going on right now where we’re going to renovate our concession stand and our ballpark.”
According to Robison, the money that will be used for the renovations comes from a fund that has been collecting money for over 20 years.
“The revenues that we spend come from sales taxes,” he said. “More people come to our area, they spend money and we get a portion. So it helps not just us with the recreation district, but it helps our community.”
The community has also received “a great deal of help” from state representatives and parish councilmembers, he added.
Robison said that the local attractions have drawn in visitors from neighboring parishes such as Terrebonne and Lafourche.

The St. Mary Parish Library System kicks off the summer reading program June 5.
Families will enjoy an ice cream treat while checking out their first batch of books.
The theme this summer is Build a Better World.
A summer lineup of professional entertainment will be provided at all seven branches, beginning the first week with an interactive drumming session by percussionist, Elizabeth “Lady Chops” Vidos.
A talented percussionist, this drummer’s off-broadway work history includes the “STOMP” show and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Incorporating musical instruments from other countries into her performance, she educates and entertains children of all ages with an engaging performance that includes interactive skills and musical instruments.
Future entertainment for the month of June will include performances by David LeBouef, Hampstead Stage Company, Javier Juarez, Matthew Noel, and Roger Day.
Combining magic, humor, and education, magician David LeBouef has enchanted children of all ages with his delightful magic show.
For the past thirty-four years, Hampstead Stage Company has excelled in providing quality interactive, educational performances to their audiences with memorable productions of popular myths, fairy tales, and plays.
The director of Javier’s Dance Studio, Javier Juarez has been a performer and teacher for over thirty years, actively involved in the educational system for the past 28 years, incorporating a multitude of dancing styles for his audience’s entertainment.
Magician Matthew Noel has kept children humored and engaged with his hilarious act showcasing his magic, juggling, and yo-yo skills for over ten years.
Award-winning children’s musician Roger Day ensures his performances are filled with loud songs, high jumps, and big dreams. His witty, whimsical wordplay has entertained and educated children to expressive heights.
A printed calendar of all scheduled performance event dates and times is available Alex P. Allain Memorial Library in Franklin and the remaining library branches.
A complete, online calendar can also be found on the St. Mary Parish Library website at www.stmarylibrary.org. All of the St. Mary Parish Library System’s summer performances are free of charge and open to the public and all ages.