University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
McNEESE STATE
Cajuns Blast McNeese State, Claim Sixth Straight La. Classics Championship
3/2/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Sunday, March 2, 2003
LAFAYETTE – Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team made quick work of McNeese State here Sunday in the finale of the 17th Annual Louisiana Classics softball tournament, pounding out four home runs and 11 runs in three innings to post an 11-0 five-inning, mercy-rule win over the Cowgirls. Louisiana-Lafayette clinched the tournament championship with the victory.
Jill Robertson, All-American Becky McMurtry, Danyele Gomez and Lauren Castle all homered for Louisiana-Lafayette, which hit 15 home runs in the weekend event and now has 22 on the season in 12 games, and senior pitcher Michael Parrott made it stand up allowing just one hit to an outmanned Cowgirls squad. Parrott has tossed 24 1/3 innings this season and has yet to allow an earned run to cross the plate.
With the win, UL Lafayette finishes the Louisiana Classics tournament with a 4-1 record and extends its current win streak to three games. The Ragin' Cajuns (10-2) claimed their sixth consecutive Louisiana Classics championship and 13th in the 17 years the tournament has been held at Lady Cajun Park.
Robertson got the Cajuns hit parade jump started with a leadoff home run to center field in the game's very first at bat. The Lafayette native clubbed a line drive that slipped out of the glove of McNeese State center fielder Rikki Fontenot and over the fence for an early 1-0 lead.
UL Lafayette made no doubt of the outcome of the championship-bearing game with an eight-spot in the top of the second. Crystal George laced a perfectly placed ball through the left side of the infield to get the Ragin' Cajuns started. That was followed by an infield single from second baseman Tiffany Hebert and the Cajuns had runners on first and second.
Robertson drew a walk to load the bases and on the next at bat McMurtry ripped a double through the right side of the infield that scored George and Hebert for a 3-0 lead. Tiffany Grayson followed suit by hitting a double to left center field that scored both Robertson and McMurtry and the Cajuns were on top 5-0.
After Grayson advanced to third on a wild pitch from MSU starting pitcher Meghan Novak, Gomez continued the assault on the Cowgirls with a home run over the left field fence for a 7-0 lead.
Summar Lapeyrouse kept the Cajuns inning alive with a single to right center field. Castle took another jab at Novak, belting a home run to right center field for two more runs and a 9-0 lead. The Cajuns batted around in the second as Castle had led off the top of the inning. Novak would end the Cajuns run and retire the side when she got George to fly out to left field.
Louisiana-Lafayette ended the scoring with two more runs in the top of the third, chasing Novak from the game. McMurtry hit her fourth home run of the tournament, a two-run bomb deep over the right field wall that scored Brittany Bryant for an 11-0 advantage.
Corrie Hale replaced Novak after McMurtry's home run and retired the next two batters to escape the inning without further damage.
Parrott (4-0, 0.00 ERA) was tossing a no-hitter into the fourth inning but McNeese's Stephanie Denham hit a frozen rope that found its way past a McMurtry and Bryant and into left field. The Cowgirls failed to produce anything from the leadoff hit as Parrott induced three straight grounders to end the inning.
Brooke Mitchell pitched the fifth inning for the Cajuns striking out two batters and forcing a groundout by Fontenot to end the game and give the Cajuns the tournament title.
Louisiana-Lafayette completed a tournament sweep of McNeese State and defeated the Cowgirls 11-0 twice. The two teams will meet again in Lake Charles on Tuesday, April 29 in a 5 p.m. doubleheader at Cowgirl Diamond.
The Cajuns ended the tournament with a .288 team batting average, .658 slugging percentage and racked up 15 home runs in five games. Louisiana-Lafayette had a total of 24 extra base hits (9 doubles, 15 HR) and outscored the opposition 35-13.
The Ragin' Cajuns will return to action on Sunday, March 9 in a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Lady Cajun Park against Conference USA-member Southern Mississippi.
Louisiana Classics Notes: McMurtry hit .400 in Louisiana-Lafayette's five games in the tournament, belting four home runs and collecting two doubles while driving in nine runs. All six of her hits in the weekend event were extra baggers. McMurtry's slugging percentage was a robust 1.333 while her on-base percentage was .591. She entered the weekend tournament having ont hit a home run in the team's previous seven games.
McMurtry led the entire Louisiana Classics field with four home runs and nine runs batted in. She was also tops with 20 total bases and was a close second with six runs scored.
Lapeyrouse completed the tournament with a .429 batting average. The Lafayette native had three doubles, one home run and three RBI. She had two RBI in the Cajuns 5-3 win over Notre Dame Saturday. Her three doubles were tied for the tournament lead.
Parrott tossed 14 2/3 innings of seven-hit ball while collecting three of the Cajuns four wins in the tournament. She allowed no extra base hits and worked her way out of two bases loaded jams against Northwestern State Saturday. Against NSU, Parrott picked up the win in relief of Brooke Mitchell as she tossed 3 2/3 innings and allowed just three hits as the Cajuns held on for the 3-2 win.
Robertson homered three times while Castle and Grayson each belted two home runs.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
