University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Middle Tennessee
Cajuns Complete Four-Game Sweep of MT, Extend Win Streak to Nine
4/6/2004 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Sunday, April 6, 2003
LAFAYETTE – The 25th-ranked Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team completed its four-game sweep of Middle Tennessee here Sunday afternoon by taking both ends of the doubleheader from the Blue Raiders 10-0 and 6-3 at Lady Cajun Park the Sun Belt Conference series finale between the two teams.
With the four-game sweep, No. 25 Louisiana-Lafayette (24-5, 4-0 Sun Belt) extended its season-high winning streak to nine games and swept a doubleheader for the 11th straight time.
The Cajuns also extended their SBC winning streak to 18 games and improve to 38-2 all-time in league play since it began in 2001.
Once
again the Cajuns offense came alive in the early stages
of the game and a solid pitching effort from Brooke Mitchell stifled the Blue Raiders (17-14, 0-4 Sun Belt).
The Cajuns scored 11 runs in the first three innings of both games of the twinbill combined and Mitchell delivered two more one-hit outings.
In game one, Louisiana-Lafayette used a six-run third inning to break open a 1-0 game after 2 ˝ innings of play. UL Lafayette had taken the lead in the bottom of the first when Joy Webre lined a double down the left field line that plated senior All-American third baseman Becky McMurtry with the first run of the game. McMurtry reached base on a double of her own two batters earlier.
UL Lafayette's fireworks in the third inning came on five hits.
Jill Robertson began the inning with a single to left field and was followed by a McMurtry walk. Danyele Gomez would single to center field to load the bases with no outs.
After a Webre strikeout, freshman and Beaumont, Texas, native Brittany Bryant delivered a 2-RBI single through a hole in the left side of the infield that scored Robertson and McMurtry for a 3-0 lead and advanced Gomez to second.
A Lauren Castle grounder advanced Gomez and Bryant over one base. Leslie Pierce then drew a walk to load the bases once more for the Cajuns.
Summar Lapeyrouse made it 5-0 when she placed a single down the left field line that scored Gomez and Bryant.
Lapeyrouse and Pierce would cross home plate and make it 7-0 Cajuns when Crystal George followed with a 2-RBI double.
The
Ragin' Cajuns would ice the game in the fourth inning on
the bat of Bryant. Bryant drilled her sixth home run of
the season to right center field for three RBI and a
10-0 advantage.
Afton Thoms pitched the fifth inning to close out the game and collect a combined shutout with Mitchell and induce the mercy rule. It was the Cajuns 14th shutout of the season and the 10th mercy-rule win of the season.
Bryant ended game one 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBI. Seven other batters collected at least one hit as the Cajuns had all but one batter pick up a hit.
McMurtry was 1-for-1 with a double, three runs scored, one walk and one hit-by-pitch. The North Platte, Neb., native extended her season-high hitting streak to 10 games.
Mitchell went four innings striking out three, allowing just one hit and walking just one batter. It was her third win of the weekend series.
MT's lone hit of the game came on a bloop single to right field by Leah Grothause in the third inning.
Senior Stayc Preator suffered her second loss of the weekend as she allowed seven runs (all earned) on eight hits in 2 2/3 innings of work.
In game two, Louisiana-Lafayette jumped out to a 5-0 lead after four innings before the Blue Raiders made a comeback attempt in the fifth inning with three runs.
The Cajuns struck for two in the first inning on a 2-RBI double by Danyele Gomez.
UL Lafayette would push across two more in the third inning aided by two MT errors. Bryant had a sacrifice fly and Lauren Castle reached base on a throwing error by MT pitcher Muriel Ledbetter allowing another run to score.
MT threatened in the fifth as Cajuns starter Afton Thoms began to lose control.
The Raiders loaded the bases with no outs as pinch hitter Brandy Davis single to right, Kip Phillips reached on a bunt single and Ledbetter drew a walk.
Cortney Mitchell lifted a sacrifice fly to right field that plated Davis with the first run and cut the lead to 5-1.
UL Lafayette had shutout the Raiders for 16 consecutive innings before Mitchell's sacrifice.
Two more runs would cross the plate as Phillips scored on a wild pitch and Megan Cherinka drilled a double off of the center field wall to bring home Ledbetter and cut the lead to 5-3.
The Cajuns made the pitching switch immediately, pulling Thoms in favor of Brooke Mitchell. She would earn the save, her second of the season, as she finished the final 2 2/3 innings of the game allowing just one hit.
UL Lafayette added an insurance run in the sixth inning on a sacrifice bunt RBI by Summar Lapeyrouse that scored Brittany Bryant with her third run of the doubleheader.
Thoms collected her seventh win of the season and improved to 7-1 while earning her first-ever Sun Belt Conference victory.
Becky McMurtry had an RBI single in the fourth inning for her only hit of game two – extending her season-high hitting streak to 11 games. Her career best was a 15-game streak set last season during the month of April.
McMurtry's current streak began against then-No. 16 Florida State on March 14 at the KIA Klassic.
McMurtry ended the weekend 5-for-9 with seven runs scored, two doubles and three RBI. She increased her season batting average to .421 and her team-leading runs scored total to 32.
Mitchell ended the weekend 3-0 with a save and a 0.45 ERA. She held the Raiders to just four hits in 15 2/3 innings of action. MT hit a mere .083 against Mitchell in the series. She also fanned 16 batters.
With the sweep, the Cajuns improve to 19-1 at home this season and extended their Lady Cajun Park win streak to 16 games dating back to an 8-5 loss to Notre Dame on Feb. 28 in the 17th Annual Louisiana Classics.
UL Lafayette also picked up four key wins versus Midwest Region teams. The Cajuns are now 10-1 against fellow Midwest Region teams and have 19 straight games versus Midwest teams remaining this season.
Louisiana-Lafayette will be back in action on Saturday, April 12 when New Mexico State comes to town for a four-game Sun Belt series. Saturday and Sunday's twinbills will begin at 1 p.m.
The Cajuns will not play a game the entire week and will be off until Saturday's games with the Aggies.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
