University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Nine-Hit Attack Pushes Cajuns to Third Straight Win over NMSU
4/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
LAFAYETTE – The 14th-ranked
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team posted nine hits off
of New Mexico State's Sarah Seagraves and pushed across five
runs in a 5-0 win in game one of a Sunday Sun Belt
Conference doubleheader here at Ragin' Cajuns Softball Park.
Seagraves was able to keep the Cajuns from getting timely hits in Saturday's first game, but the Cajuns (27-7, 3-0 Sun Belt) found a few answers on Sunday.
Lacey Bertucci connected on a two-out first inning double for the early 1-0 lead and Brittany Bryant picked up a bases loaded single in the fifth inning to push the lead to 3-0. Codi Runyan capped off the offensive fireworks with her first career home run in the sixth inning.
Brooke Mitchell (19-6) overwhelmed the Aggies batting lineup striking out five over six innings and allowing no hits. Ashley Kirchberg pitched the seventh inning and fanned two more NMSU hitters to preserve the no-hitter.
Louisiana-Lafayette extended its season win streak to five games and its Sun Belt Conference regular season winning streak to 24. It was also the 24th straight SBC regular season win at Ragin' Cajuns Softball Park as the Cajuns improved to 33-1 all-time in SBC play at the park.
The Ragin' Cajuns jumped out to an early lead scoring in their first at bat. Danyele Gomez dumped a single into right field and stole second base with two outs. Bertucci brought Gomez home for a 1-0 lead when she hammered a line drive single down the left field line.
Louisiana-Lafayette moved the runners around the basepath and broke open a 1-0 in the fifth inning. The Cajuns took advantage of the speed of Tiffany Hebert and Jill Robertson, who both hit infield singles deep in the hole at shortstop, to place two runners on with one out.
Gomez kept the pressure on NMSU shortstop Rebecca Lebsack as she shoved a grounder her way – the third straight fielding chance for Lebsack – and she rushed to attempt a force play at third base but bobbled the ball allowing Gomez to reach to load the bases. Bryant cashed in on the next at bat as she laced a single into deep left field that allowed Hebert and Robertson to score and make it 3-0.
The Cajuns used more one-out magic to increase their lead in the sixth inning. Crystal George lined a single off of Lebsack's glove and Runyan crushed a Seagraves offering that sailed over the right field fence. The home run was the first of Runyan's career.
Kirchberg relieved Mitchell in the seventh inning and worked her way out a two-out jam with two baserunners on.
With the win, Louisiana-Lafayette increased its all-time series lead over the Aggies to 19-0 and moved within one victory of completing the four-game series sweep.
The two teams closed out their Sun Belt-opening series with the second game of Sunday's twinbill which began at 3:45 p.m.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
