University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Texas - San Antonio
Gomez Ties Single-Season Home Run Record, Cajuns Top UTSA 8-0 In Five
4/17/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Thursday, April 17, 2003
LAFAYETTE – Freshman Danyele Gomez continued her banner campaign here Thursday night at Lady Cajun Park belting a grand slam in the second inning for her single-season, record-tying 16th home run of the season to help the 20th-ranked Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team to an 8-0 (5 innings) mercy-rule win over visiting Texas-San Antonio in the Cajuns final tuneup for the much anticipated Sun Belt Conference showdown with Florida International this weekend and final home game of the season.
Gomez
took a 2-2 pitch from UTSA reliever Diana Casteneda and
promptly deposited it over the outfield fence in left
center field to clear the bases and turn a 2-0 Cajuns
lead into a 6-0 advantage in the bottom of the second
inning.
The grand slam was Gomez's second of the season and allowed her to move into a tie with former All-American Alana Addison for the single-season home run record of 16 – one which Addison set just last season. Gomez's next home run will establish a new single-season home run record for the second straight season.
Gomez ended the game 1-for-2 with two runs scored and four RBI. She increased her season RBI total to a team- and Sun Belt-best 47. The home run was her eighth of the Cajuns 16-game homestand and 15th of the season at Lady Cajun Park.
Sophomore left fielder Crystal George sent the fans home early with a solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning for an 8-0 lead which brought the mercy rule into effect.
George ripped a 2-2 pitch from Casteneda over the right field wall just to the left of the scoreboard for her fourth home run of the season.
Afton Thoms pitched a complete
game, tossing five innings and allowing just four hits
while striking out four batters. Thoms improved to 9-1
on the season and earned her third solo shutout of the
season and the Cajuns 19th as a team.
With the win, UL Lafayette (31-5) extended its season-high win streak to 16 games – the longest such streak under head coach Stefni Lotief and currently tied for the fifth-longest win streak in program history.
The win also extended the Cajuns home win streak to 23 games. UL Lafayette, playing its regular-season home finale, ended the 2003 season with a 26-1 home record.
The mercy rule win was the Cajuns 15th of the season and sixth in the last nine games.
Louisiana-Lafayette got the scoring going in the bottom half of the first.
The Cajuns got on the board when Joy Webre looped a single to right field to score senior All-American third baseman Becky McMurtry who had reached base on her 13th double of the season two batters earlier.
UL Lafayette's lead moved to 2-0 when Leslie Pierce drew a two-out, bases-loaded walk on a full count that scored Gomez.
Gomez's grand slam was set up in the second inning when George drew a leadoff walk, Jill Robertson singled to center field and McMurtry drew a walk on four pitches.
UTSA head coach Corrie Hill opted to change the pitcher before Gomez stepped up to the plate – replacing starter Amanda Horton with Casteneda.
Gomez greeted Casteneda with the historic bomb shot to blow the game wide open.
The Roadrunners (14-35) would threaten in the top of the third, collecting two hits on a single up the middle by Jessica Els to break up Thoms' no-hit bid and a two-out single by Krystal Gibson.
The rally was halted when Jenny Garcia struck out swinging to end the inning.
The Cajuns added one more run in their half of the third to make it 7-0.
UL Lafayette led off the inning with a Leslie Pierce walk. Pierce's walk was followed by back-to-back singles from Summar Lapeyrouse and George to load the bases once more.
Two batters later McMurtry drew a walk to force home Pierce. McMurtry ended the game 1-for-1 with two runs scored and an RBI. She increased her team-best batting average to .440.
UTSA picked up two more hits in the fourth inning and threatened to cross home plate.
Jessica Rogers hit a chopper over the head of Afton Thoms to Robertson at shortstop who attempted to make the putout on the run but was unsuccessful.
Christy Brownlee followed with a single to center field to give the Roadrunners baserunners at first and second with no outs.
Thoms worked out of the jam, as Jennifer Davis fouled out to McMurtry at third base, Jessica Ellison grounded to Tiffany Hebert at second and Paige Paramore hit a grounder deep in the hole at shortstop which was fielded by Robertson who made a rocket throw to Lapeyrouse at first to avoid a run scoring.
UTSA's last threat was in the fifth inning with runners on first and second with two outs. However, Els was gunned down at third trying to advance on a wild pitch to end the inning.
George ended the game in the next at bat for the Cajuns.
Horton (4-15) took the loss for UTSA allowing five runs on three hits in one inning of action. Casteneda was charged with three runs while giving up five hits over 3 1/3 innings.
The Cajuns will now travel to Miami on Friday for a pivotal Sun Belt Conference four-game series with second place Florida International (28-20, 4-0 Sun Belt) Saturday-,Sunday, April 19-20 in Miami. The series gives the Cajuns the opportunity to clinch at least a share of the SBC regular season championship.
UL Lafayette is 11-1 all-time against the Golden Panthers with the lone loss coming in 2001 at University Park in Miami. The Cajuns will put their 22-game Sun Belt win streak on the line.
Fans interested in tracking the Cajuns over the weekend can visit www.ragincajuns.com and visit the softball web site where there will be a link to view live stats of all of the action.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
