Cajuns Swing Their Way Past McNeese State, Fall to Notre Dame In Extras

Saturday, February 28

LADY CAJUN PARK

N/A

Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns

Notre Dame

Cajuns Swing Their Way Past McNeese State, Fall to Notre Dame In Extras

2/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball

Friday, Feb. 28, 2003

LAFAYETTE – Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team piled up 11 hits and belted three home runs in rolling to an easy 11-0 defeat of McNeese State here at Lady Cajun Park in their opener of the 17th Annual Louisiana Classics. However, the Cajuns fell victim to the "long ball" in the nightcap.

In the Cajuns second game of the day, Notre Dame's Liz Hartmann hit a hit a three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth with no outs as the Fighting Irish rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the sixth inning to defeat the Ragin' Cajuns 8-5 in nine innings.

Against McNeese, Tiffany Grayson, Jill Roberston and Joy Webre all homered for the Ragin' Cajuns (7-1) and senior pitcher Michael Parrott made it stand up as she allowed just three hits over seven innings as UL Lafayette collected its season-high fifth straight win and its 32nd straight over MSU. It was the tournament opener for the hosts.

McNeese State (1-8), coming off of its first win of the season in the previous game against Northwestern State, falls to 1-1 in the three-day event.

Grayson ended the game 3-for-5 with four RBI while Webre was a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs batted in and three runs scored.

After being retired in order in the first inning by McNeese starting pitcher Jessica Denham the Cajuns began the scoring in the top half of the second with a Joy Webre solo home run to left center field. The home run, Webre's first of the season and fifth of her career, came with two outs.

UL Lafayette expanded its 1-0 lead in its next at bat. Crystal George reached base on a fielding error by MSU first baseman Beth Jordan. Robertson made the Cowgirls pay, rifling a home run off the scoreboard in right field to give the Cajuns a 3-0 lead.

The Cajuns added one more run in the fourth when All-American third baseman Becky McMurtry was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. UL Lafayette led 4-0 after four complete.

In the fifth, a Webre sacrifice fly and a Lapeyrouse RBI double pushed the Cajuns margin to 6-0.

Louisiana-Lafayette would explode for five more runs in the seventh inning. Grayson lifted a grand slam to dead center field over the flag pole and into the trees for an 11-0 lead. The grand slam was the Cajuns second of the season (Danyele Gomez hit one in the home opener versus Louisiana Tech).

Parrott picked up her second shutout of the season. The Houston native face 24 batters and got 17 to ground out while striking out two. She has pitched in 16 2/3 innings this season and has yet to allow an earned run.

In the Cajuns second game of the day, it was a pitcher's duel for the first five-plus innings between UL Lafayette's Brooke Mitchell and Notre Dame's Steffany Stenglein. Both teams had combined for just two hits going into the bottom of the fifth.

The bats exploded after the fifth inning. Both teams would end up combining for eight home runs in the final 3 1/2 innings of action.

The Fighting Irish (4-5) broke the scoreless tie in the fifth on a leadoff solo home run by Andria Bledsoe that hit off the right field scoreboard.

The Ragin' Cajuns (7-2), responded with a five-spot in the top of the sixth. McMurtry clubbed a three-run bomb to left center and UL Lafayette took its first lead of the game 3-1.

The Cajuns lead grew to 5-1 thanks to solo home runs by Grayson and Webre.

ND battled back with three runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning and then tied up the game with a leadoff homer in the seventh by Hartmann. Hartmann then ended the game with her home run in the bottom of the ninth.

McMurtry's home run was her first of the season and she ended the ND game 2-for-4 with 3 RBI. Grayson and Webre each hit their second homers of the day and both were 1-for-4 against the Irish.

For Notre Dame, Hartmann and Bledsoe each had two home runs with Meagan Ruthrauff collecting the Irish's fifth home run of the game.

Louisiana-Lafayette returns to action on Saturday, March 1 with day two of the Louisiana Classics. The Cajuns will face in-state rival Northwestern State at 2 p.m. and then have a rematch with Notre Dame at 6:30 p.m.