University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Northwestern State (DH)
Top of Lineup Propels Cajuns To Sweep of Northwestern State
3/31/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Wednesday, March 31, 2004
NATCHITOCHES – The
top of the lineup provided the spark for No. 8
Louisiana-Lafayette in the nightcap as the Ragin' Cajuns
recorded an 8-0 run-rule win over Northwestern State in
the second game of a doubleheader here Wednesday evening
at Demon Diamond in six innings.
Hillary Guidry and Holly Tankersley, the leadoff and two-hole hitter, combined for seven hits and three runs as the Cajuns (32-4) completed the doubleheader sweep and ran its win streak to four games.
Guidry went 3-for-3 and Tankersley was 4-for-4 at the plate with Tankersley driving home two runs and Guidry scoring two.
Junior ace hurler Brooke Mitchell (26-3) picked up where she left off from game one (three hits allowed, 14 strikeouts), cruising up-and-down the Demons batting order with 12 strikeouts and no hits allowed. It was her 21st double-digit strikeout game of the season and fourth straight.
With the win,
Mitchell tied her personal single-season best for
victories at 26. Last season, the Pasadena, Texas,
native picked up 26 wins for the Cajuns en route to a
Women's College World Series berth.
Louisiana-Lafayette got two RBI apiece from Tankersley, Danyele Gomez and Joy Webre.
As a team, the Ragin' Cajuns pounded out 12 hits with the first six through the lineup each picking up at least one hit.
The Cajuns jumped on NSU starter Crista Miller from the first pitch. The Cajuns sent three batters to the plate and picked up three quick hits.
Guidry led off the game with a double over Demons right fielder Margaret Patterson that landed at the base of the fence. Tankersley followed with a single into the left center field gap that scored Guidry for a 1-0 lead.
UL Lafayette plated two more runs in the third inning. The recipe for the production was a repeat performance of the first inning – three batters and three straight hits.
Guidry led off the inning with an infield single. Tankersley followed with a single into right field and moved over to second on the throw from Patterson that sailed over the cutoff man.
Danyele Gomez took
advantage of the opportunity with her 18th base hit with
runners in scoring position, ripping a double over a
drawn in outfield bringing home Guidry and Tankersley
for her team-leading 31st and 32nd RBI that put the
Cajuns up 3-0 after three innings.
An RBI single in the fourth from Tankersley and then a two-run home run from Joy Webre in the fifth to finish off the scoring.
Mitchell tossed 4 2/3 innings before being relieved by Heather Bobbitt after striking out the first two NSU hitters in the bottom half of the fifth.
Bobbitt worked out of a bases loaded, no outs jam in the bottom of the sixth to end the game before regulation.
The win marked the 180th in the coaching career of head coach Stefni Lotief who improved to 180-38 in her career with the triumph.
The Cajuns extended their win streak over the Demons to seven straight and improved to 16-2 this season against NCAA Midwest Region opponents.
Louisiana-Lafayette will enjoy a nine-day break from competition before venturing out west to Las Cruces, N.M., for a Sun Belt Conference opening series with New Mexico State April 10-11.
Louisiana-Lafayette 8, Northwestern State 0
(Mar 31, 2004 at Natchitoches, La.) (Game 2)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Louisiana-Lafayette. 102 122 - 8 13 0 (32-4)
Northwestern State.. 000 000 - 0 2 2 (18-21)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Louisiana-Lafayette - Mitchell; Bobbitt(5).
Northwestern State - Miller.
Win-Mitchell(26-3) Loss-Miller(4-13) T-2:15 A-166
HR UL - Webre.
*Brooke Mitchell's 21st double-digit strikeout game of
the season and fourth straight
*Cajuns sweep fourth doubleheader of the season
GAME ONE
Louisiana-Lafayette's Brooke Mitchell and Northwestern
State's Amie Ford battled in a pitcher's duel for the
game's first four innings of a twinbill opener here
Wednesday evening at the Demon Diamond.
UL Lafayette catcher Joy Webre changed things with one swing of her bat in the top of the fifth inning.
The junior lifted a solo shot over the left center field wall to leadoff the inning, giving the eighth-ranked Ragin' Cajuns a lead they would not surrender.
Mitchell remained in cruise control the rest of the way and ended the game with a three-hit complete game shutout of the hosts as Louisiana-Lafayette (31-4) picked up a 2-0 victory in the opening game of an eight-game road swing.
Mitchell fanned a
total of 14 Demon hitters for her 20th double-digit
strikeout performance of the season and in the process
collected her 25th win.
Brittany Bryant, who hit two doubles, brought home Holly Tankersley in the sixth, with her second double of the game, for an insurance run that gave the Cajuns a 2-0 lead.
Tankersley was 1-for-1 at the plate with two walks and a run scored.
Ford was handed her fifth loss of the season in her first-ever start against the Cajuns for the Demons (18-20). She struck out 11 and surrendered six hits while walking three.
The win was the Cajuns third straight over a NCAA Midwest Region opponent and moved them to 15-2 against teams that comprise the region.
Mitchell picked up her third straight double-digit strikeout game and increased her season total and school single-season record to 333.
Louisiana-Lafayette 2, Northwestern State 0
(Mar 31, 2004 at Natchitoches, La.) (Game 1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Louisiana-Lafayette. 000 011 0 - 2 6 0 (31-4)
Northwestern State.. 000 000 0 - 0 3 0 (18-20)
---------------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers:
Louisiana-Lafayette - Mitchell. Northwestern State -
Ford.
Win-Mitchell(25-3) Loss-Ford(10-5) T-1:52 A-0
HR UL - Webre.
Game notes:
*First of game of Cajuns current eight-game road trip
*Brooke Mitchell's third straight double-digit strikeout
game and 20th of the season *Cajuns sixth straight win
over NSU
-LOUISIANA'S RAGIN' CAJUNS-
