University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Mitchell No-Hits DePaul in Leadoff Classic Opener
2/25/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
COLUMBUS, Ga. –
Brooke Mitchell made her NFCA Leadoff Classic debut one to remember
for the sixth-ranked Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball
team.
Mitchell crafted the fifth no-hitter in Leadoff Classic history here Friday afternoon in leading No. 6 Louisiana-Lafayette (13-1) to a 3-0 win over DePaul (4-8) in the team's opener for pool play. The Cajuns moved to 1-0 in Pool 2 play and made the quick turnaround to face San Diego State at approximately 4 p.m. (CST).
The Cajuns sent the entire batting order to the plate in the top of the third inning getting two timely hits with the bases loaded to lay claim to a 3-0 edge.
That's all the help Mitchell would need as she struck out 12 Blue Demons batters and was never threatened. The senior from Pasadena, Texas, picked up the 10th complete game no-hitter of her career and first this season. With the shutout, Mitchell extended her streak of consecutive innings without an earned run allowed to 28 2/3 straight innings.
The Cajuns got untracked in the third inning after a pair of hitless trips to the plate. Jill Robertson looped a one-out single into shallow left field for the Cajuns first hit. Robertson's base hit loaded the bases after Tara Hamilton led off the inning with a walk and Tiffany Hebert was hit by pitch on the third at bat of the frame.
DePaul pitcher Megan Huitink then plunked Danyele Gomez to force home Hamilton for the first run of the inning giving the Cajuns a 1-0 lead. Brittany Bryant followed that up with a bouncer past a diving shortstop that brought home Hebert for a 2-0 Cajuns lead.
After Joy Webre struck out swinging for the second out, Lacey Bertucci placed a seeing-eye single through the hole at shortstop to bring home Robertson for the third run of the inning.
That three-run outburst was all Louisiana-Lafayette would need as DePaul never posed a threat. The only time the Blue Demons put a runner past second base was in the third inning when Huitink led off with a walk. Pinch runner Jenny Doezie advanced to second on a Mitchell wild pitch. Doezie would scamper down to third base on the second strikeout of the inning when Webre dropped a third strike and was forced to throw down to first base to put out Saskia Roberson.
Mitchell cruised the rest of the way retiring 12 of the final 13 batters she faced. DePaul's lone baserunner in the final four innings occurred when Mitchell plunked Huitink in the bottom of the fifth inning. After that, she retired the final seven batters that she faced.
Robertson, Bryant, Webre, Bertucci and Hamilton each had one hit apiece to lead the Ragin' Cajuns who finished with five hits.
The win was the Cajuns 10th in their last 13 NFCA Leadoff Classic games dating back to the program's 1999 and 2000 appearances.
The win improved Mitchell to 101-21 in her career and moved within four wins of passing up Kyla Hall for the all-time career lead.
No. 6
Louisiana-Lafayette 3, DePaul 0 (Feb 25, 2005 at Columbus,
Ga.)
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Louisiana-Lafayette. 003 000 0 - 3 5 0 (13-1)
DePaul.............. 000 000 0 - 0 0 1 (4-8)
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Pitchers: Louisiana-Lafayette - Mitchell. DePaul - Huitink;
Adix(6).
Win-Mitchell(10-1) Loss-Huitink(1-6) T-1:54
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
