Hot-Hitting Ragin’ Cajuns Visit Patriots in Dallas

DALLAS (Interstat) — Two teams trending in opposite directions will meet Friday when the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns visit the Dallas Baptist Patriots at Ellis Davis Field House.

First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. under cloudy skies with a game-time temperature of 76 degrees forecast.

Louisiana-Lafayette (10-3) carries a five-game winning streak into the weekend series, fresh off a commanding 7-2 midweek victory over in-state rival LSU on Wednesday. The Ragin’ Cajuns’ pitching has been dominant, allowing three or fewer runs in eight of their 10 wins.

A key figure in that surge is right-hander Sawyer Pruitt, who has not allowed an earned run in his last four appearances spanning 13 2/3 innings. In the win over LSU, Pruitt threw four scoreless innings of relief, allowing just two hits and striking out four. Over his last three outings, he has 15 strikeouts.

Dallas Baptist (8-5), meanwhile, looks to rebound from a 2-0 road loss at Oklahoma on Tuesday where the Patriots managed only two hits. The bullpen has been a recent concern, blowing late leads in two of their last five games.

Patriots reliever Liam Watt will be a player to watch. The right-hander has been effective, not allowing a hit in three of his last five appearances. He took the hard-luck loss against Oklahoma, allowing one unearned run over five hitless innings with three strikeouts.

The series opens a challenging stretch for both clubs. Following this three-game set, Louisiana-Lafayette will play nine of its next 11 at home. Dallas Baptist embarks on a seven-game road trip after Sunday’s series finale.

According to Interstat’s game simulator, Louisiana-Lafayette is projected to win Friday’s opener 8-5.

The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. and concludes Sunday at 1 p.m.