New Iberia: 20 runs, 11 hits, 5 errors.
Franklin: 19 runs, 10 hits, 5 errors.
  
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“When you look at the scoreboard and you shake your head and all you can do is say - ‘Wow,’” said Burdett after the Holiday Sporting Goods Cajuns scored a run in the bottom of the seventh inning to take the 20-19 win over his team.
Derick Huval beat out an infield hit with one out in the bottom of the seventh to bring home a charging Hunter Crochet from third base with the game-winning run as the Cajuns survived the three hour, 15 minute contest to maintain a chance to claim the district title.
“My hat goes off to Coach Burdett and his Franklin team,” said Cajuns coach Shane Faucheaux. “They came in and played really hard and got 10 hits and scored 19 runs.
“I’m really at a loss for words right now.”
For the second straight district game, the Cajuns and their opponent combined to score more than 30 runs. New Iberia was on the losing end of a 20-16 decision to Abbeville Thursday and opened this week of district play with a combined 39 runs.
“We battled back and got the win and that’s fine but we have got to play better baseball,” said Faucheaux. “There’s just no doubt about it.”
In fact, in a rarity for a baseball game, there were six lead changes as neither team gave up after a big inning from the opposition.
“I don’t know it this is quite how the game is supposed to be played but both teams showed character and battled back,” said Burdett, whose team fell to 0-9 overall and 0-7 in district. “They got ahead, we battled back. We got ahead and they battled back.
“Neither team wanted to lose.”
The scorefest was highlighted by a 19-run fifth inning that saw Franklin score 9 runs to take the lead and the Cajuns answer with 10 runs in the bottom of the frame to reclaim the lead.
“We did not get good pitching performances tonight for one reason or another,” said Faucheaux, whose Cajuns improved to 11-5-1 overall and 5-2 in district. “All our pitchers that we ran out there got into a bind. We couldn’t throw strike one tonight.”
“When you look at that 10-run inning, three of our five errors in the game were made in that inning,” said Burdett. “If it’s not for the errors, maybe they score four runs instead of 10. But they did what they had to do and we didn’t.”
The Cajuns scored four runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead and Franklin scored four in the top of the second to tie the game.
New Iberia added five runs in the bottom of the second for a 9-4 lead. Franklin cut the lead to 9-7 with three runs in the fourth then exploded for nine in the fifth to lead 16-9. The Cajuns come back with 10 runs to take a 19-16 lead in the bottom of the fifth.
Franklin tied the game with three runs in the top of the sixth before Huval’s RBI single won it in the bottom of the seventh.
“It wasn’t a good baseball game tonight,” said Faucheaux. “That’s no secret for everyone who came out and saw this game. It just wasn’t a good baseball game.”
The Cajuns travel to Abbeville tonight with a slim chance to win the district title.
Abbeville holds a two-game lead over New Iberia and a loss tonight effectively ends the Cajuns’ chances to win the district title.
“We do realize that we have to go to Abbeville and we need to get a win if we hope to have a shot at winning the district championship,” said Faucheaux. “At this point in time the game against Abbeville is the biggest game we’ll have played in this season.”
Bryce Sibille had three hits, two RBIs and scored three runs for the Cajuns on Tuesday. Richie Mouret scored four runs, Jordan Abney had a bases-clearing triple in the 10-run fifth inning, Hunter Crochet had a hit and scored three runs, Zane Migues had a two-RBI single and Cody Bourque had two hits.
Lee Hebert, the fifth New Iberia pitcher of the night, picked up the win, allowing two hits in 12⁄3 innings.
Christian Steiner had three hits and five RBIs for Franklin. Jordan Sanchez had a two-RBI double and Jake Concienne had three hits and three RBIs.
Franklin plays Blue Stream tonight at Acadian Ballpark.
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