The Baton Rouge Rougarou opened their 2024 season in dramatic fashion Thursday night at Pete Goldsby Field. After eight scoreless innings, the Rougarou scored the game’s only run on an error in the bottom of the ninth to take a 1-0 win over the Gumbeaux Gators.
With only five hits off a trio of Gators pitchers, the Rougarou needed a break. They got it when D.J. Walker led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a walk from reliever Reagan Weilblinger. Walker then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Rene Galvan. That set the stage for Rafael Gross, who sent a ball up the middle that bounced off the Gators’ second baseman’s glove, allowing Walker to score and setting off a wild Rougarou celebration.
There wasn’t a lot for the Roux to celebrate up to that point, however. Baton Rouge managed only five hits from four players. Mason Ruiz had two of those, including a double in the second inning. Zeb Ruddell, Blaise Priester and Gross had the others.
But the Gators fared little better against the Rougarou’s pitchers. Starter Fabian Fernandez allowed only four hits in his six scoreless innings, walking one and striking out two. Cayden Schmidt gave up one hit in 1 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out three. Winning pitcher Kameron Hardebeck gave up no hits and struck out two in his 1 1/3 innings of work.
The win was the first for new head coach James Dillard, who said he was impressed with both pitchers.
“It’s always good to get your first win as a coach,” Dillard said. “It was a well-played game by both teams. Both played really good defense. I was very impressed with our pitching staff and their pitching staff. Fabian gave us a really good outing and he kept his pitch count low, that allowed him to go back out for some extra innings, which was big for us. That ninth inning is kind of what we have to do, manufacture some runs.”
The Rougarou will host the Gumbeaux Gators again Friday night at 7 p.m. at Goldsby Field.
By Lori Lyons, Rougarou Writer