University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Pitching Gems Highlight Cajuns Sweep of ULM
4/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Wednesday, April 2, 2003
LAFAYETTE – Sophomore pitcher Brooke Mitchell recorded her third straight one-hitter and redshirt freshman Afton Thoms notched her first career no-hitter, and the third no-no for the Cajuns staff this season, as Louisiana-Lafayette cruised to a 5-1, 9-0 (5 innings) softball doubleheader sweep of in-state rival UL Monroe here Wednesday evening at Lady Cajun Park.
With the sweep, the Cajuns (20-5) increased their home winning streak to 12 games and their overall win streak to five games.
The Cajuns also moved within one win of 400 all-time at Lady Cajun Park. In 18-plus seasons, UL Lafayette has posted a 399-69 (.853) record in their beloved confines. The Ragin' Cajuns are 63-8 at Lady Cajun Park under head coach Stefni Lotief and have won 115 of the last 127 games played here since 1999.
In
game one, Mitchell (8-4, 0.97 ERA,109 K) was solid in
the circle once more. The Pasadena, Texas native allowed
just one hit – an infield single in the first inning by
ULM's Anna Hancock. After that Mitchell cruised
up-and-down the Indians lineup, not allowing a
baserunner until a walk in the sixth inning issued to
Lindsay Schafer.
The Cajuns struck first on a Danyele Gomez double to right field that scored Tiffany Grayson who had walked the batter before.
Gomez struck again in the fourth inning as she led off the inning with her team-leading 10th home run of the season to make it 2-0. Gomez is now just two home runs shy of tying the school's freshman record for home runs set by Alana Addison in 1999.
UL Monroe head coach Rosemary Holloway decided to make a pitching change in the Cajuns half of the fifth. After seeing what transpired after the change, she probably wished she had stuck with her starter Ashley Bellew (5-10).
Sarah Freeman entered the game in relief of Bellew in the circle only to surrender three runs on three hits before she was pulled in favor of Bellew.
Freeman retired Crystal George to lead off the fifth with a popup to shortstop. Trouble met Freeman after she issued a free pass to leadoff hitter Jill Robertson.
The first to make Freeman pay was senior All-American third baseman Becky McMurtry. The North Platte, Neb., native and two-time All-American lifted a home run over the left field wall and into the bleachers for a 4-0 lead. It was McMurtry's eighth home run of the season.
The Cajuns weren't done just yet. On the next at bat, junior center fielder Tiffany Grayson ripped a high home run into the trees in left center field for her fourth home run of the season to increase UL Lafayette's lead to 5-0. Freeman was then pulled in favor of Bellew.
UL Monroe received its lone run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Connie Coleman. The run was unearned as there was an error earlier in the inning and the sacrifice fly came with one out.
Gomez ended game one 3-for-3 with a single, double, home run and two runs batted in. McMurtry also had two RBI and Grayson scored two runs.
Mitchell picked up the win as she fanned 10 batters and walked just two. The sophomore moved over 100 strikeouts for the season and now needs just 27 more for 300 in her brief career. The win was her team-best eighth of the season.
Louisiana-Lafayette's three home runs moved its season total to 41. The Cajuns have hit 36 home runs which is four shy of tying the Lady Cajun Park single-season record of 40 set in 2001.
In
game two, the Cajuns capitalized on the mistakes of the
Indians for the five-inning mercy rule rout. It also
helped that Thoms was in total control tossing the
no-hitter – the Cajuns third of the season.
UL Lafayette exploded for four runs in the opening frame. The Cajuns got the four runs off of four hits. RBI hits from Grayson, Joy Webre and Brittany Bryant added with a Webre score on a steal attempt at second by Lauren Castle gave the Cajuns the early 4-0 lead.
The game got away from the Indians in the third inning as they committed three errors in the inning alone which led to four Cajuns runs that increased the margin to 8-0.
Gomez led off by reaching first on a throwing error by the shortstop. Webre then singled through the left side and Bryant reached on a fielding error by second baseman Lindsay Schafer to load the bases with no outs.
Gomez crossed home plate on the very next play as Castle lifted a fly ball to right field that was dropped by ULM's Coleman to make it 5-0.
Summar Lapeyrouse then hit a hard liner that glanced off the glove of shortstop Courtney Tuggle and into left field to score Webre and Bryant for a 7-0 lead and still no outs recorded by the Indians.
Freeman took the place of starter Kate Schaper. Schaper got a grounder from pinch hitter Leslie Pierce which forced Lapeyrouse at second and advanced pinch runner Natalie Hamby over to third. Hamby would later score on a deep sacrifice fly by McMurtry for an 8-0 lead.
The Cajuns would load the bases once more in the fourth inning and pushed across one more run as an error was committed by ULM third baseman Ashley Palma with two outs allowing Webre to score another unearned run and make it 9-0.
Thoms complete her first-ever no-hitter when she retired the side in the top of the fifth inning. Loren Dixon fouled out to McMurtry in front of the Cajuns dugout to record the final out on a memorable night for Thoms.
Thoms, a Baton Rouge native, struck out four and walked just one as she earned her sixth career victory in the circle.
Webre ended game two 2-for-2 with three runs scored and one run batted in. McMurtry was 1-for-1 with a run and an RBI as she ended the twinbill 2-for-3 with three runs batted in.
UL Lafayette will return to action Saturday as it begins defense of its back-to-back Sun Belt Conference regular season championships in a 2 p.m. doubleheader versus Middle Tennessee (17-10) at Lady Cajun Park. The twinbill is the opener of a four-game set which concludes Sunday at Noon with another doubleheader.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
