University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Auburn
Ragin' Cajuns Softball Rolls To Easy Wins Sunday at ULM Classic
2/16/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Sunday, Feb. 16, 2003
MONROE – Louisiana-Lafayette's Ragin' Cajuns softball team got its offense back on track and also returned to its winning ways here Sunday at the UL Monroe Mardi Gras Classic, posting a 9-3 win over Southeastern Louisiana and a 9-1 mercy-rule rout of SEC-member Auburn in their tournament finale.
UL Lafayette (4-1) finished 2-1 in the weekend event and claimed third place in the eight-team event. The Cajuns were supposed to play Baylor for the consolation title (3rd place), but the Bears left immediately after their pool play concluded and were not available to play the game giving the Cajuns the consolation honors by default.
Louisiana-Lafayette bounced back from a one-hit performance against Tulsa on Friday with an offensive barrage Sunday that saw the Cajuns produce 18 runs and rack up 20 hits. The pitching was solid, allowing just two earned runs in 13 innings.
“We have a group of players who are going to go out there and fight every at bat, every pitch,” said head coach Stefni Lotief. “They were not satisfied with Friday's one-hit outing and came out today and responded by rising to the challenge and as a result we saw tremendous production from 1-to-9 in the lineup.
“It's not just one player, but a collective unit that is getting the job done for us offensively,” Lotief added. “Opposing pitchers are intentionally pitching around (Becky) McMurtry and (Danyele) Gomez, but others are rising to the occasion. Tiffany (Grayson) had a great day today with six runs batted in and a home run, Brittany Bryant hit another home run and Lauren Castle had four hits.”
“You also have to give credit to our pitching staff,” Lotief stressed. “The offense gave them at least three runs today and they made it stand up. We've only allowed two earned runs through 32 innings this young season.”
In the first game of the day, the Ragin' Cajuns got multi-RBI home runs from Lafayette native and junior shortstop Jill Robertson and junior center fielder Tiffany Grayson to distance themselves from Southeastern Louisiana. Robertson was cleared to play after dislocating her shoulder against Louisiana Tech in Tuesday's season-opening doubleheader.
With UL Lafayette leading 2-1 in the top of the fourth inning, Robertson launched her first home run of the season to give the Cajuns a 4-1 lead. SLU (0-6) would add two runs in the bottom of the fifth to trim the lead to 4-3 after five complete.
Grayson erased any hope of a Lions comeback with her first home run of the season – a three run blast that put the Ragin' Cajuns in front 7-3 in the sixth inning. UL Lafayette added two more runs in the seventh to complete the scoring.
Grayson was 2-for-5 with four RBI and one homer. Robertson chipped in with a 1-for-4 outing and two RBI. Catcher Joy Webre drove in a run and was 2-for-4 at the plate. Lauren Castle also went 2-for-4. All-American Becky McMurtry scored three runs.
Redshirt freshman Afton Thoms (1-0) made her UL Lafayette debut in the pitching circle against SLU. Thoms went the distance and struck out five for her first collegiate win.
In game two, the Cajuns made it a perfect day in the win column with a 9-1 6-inning, mercy-rule pouncing of SEC-member Auburn (8-8). It was the first meeting between the two schools.
Auburn scored first in the bottom of the first inning off Cajuns starter Brooke Mitchell. Mitchell settled down after that, holding the Tigers scoreless the remaining five innings and striking out eight. Mitchell ended the tournament with 20 strikeouts and no earned runs in 12 innings.
UL Lafayette's offense backed Mitchell up with four runs, all unearned, over the next two innings, pushing across a pair in the both second and third innings.
McMurtry plated Robertson in the fourth inning and Brittany Bryant hit her third home run of the season with a solo shot in the fifth to increase the Cajuns lead to 6-1. The Cajuns added three more in the sixth to enforce the mercy rule, as Grayson and Castle each had RBI singles.
Grayson ended the Auburn game 2-for-3 with two RBI and was a combined 4-for-8 with six RBI in the day's two games. Mitchell got her second win of the season in the circle for UL Lafayette and the Cajuns won their second straight overall.
The Cajuns will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 19 with a 5 p.m. doubleheader at Nicholls State in Thibodaux, La. UL Lafayette's next home game is set for Friday, Feb. 28 at 4:15 p.m. against McNeese State in the opening round of the 17th annual Louisiana Classics at Lady Cajun Park.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
