University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Offense Erupts for 13 Hits to Complete Series Sweep of NMSU
4/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
LAFAYETTE – The first weekend
of Sun Belt Conference play is in the books and the
14th-ranked Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team is off
to a perfect start.
The Ragin' Cajuns (28-7, 4-0) offense followed up a nine-hit attack in game one of Sunday's doubleheader against New Mexico State with a 13-hit explosion which carried the team to an 8-1 win and a four-game sweep of NMSU (17-23, 0-4 Sun Belt) in the Sun Belt-opening series for both teams.
Eight of nine starters had at least one base hit and five had at least one RBI as No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette stretched its Sun Belt Conference regular season winning streak to 25 games – setting a new program record for consecutive SBC wins. The previous record was 24 set during the final 14 games of the 2002 season and first 10 of the 2003 season.
The 13 hits were the most for Louisiana-Lafayette since collecting 16 against Purdue on Feb. 20 and was the 10th double-digit hit game of the season.
The win also extend the Cajuns' Sun Belt win streak at Ragin' Cajuns Softball Park to 25 straight games and helped the team keep pace with Florida International (26-16, 4-0 Sun Belt) which swept North Texas over the weekend. The Ragin' Cajuns and Golden Panthers will battle for the early lead in the race for the conference title when Louisiana-Lafayette travels to Miami for a showdown Saturday-Sunday, April 16-17.
Brittany Bryant, Ashley Evans and Codi Runyan each had two hits to pace the Cajuns offense which scored plenty of runs to back up another solid outing from Heather Bobbitt. Bobbitt limited NMSU to just two hits over six innings.
The Aggies got a series-high two base hits, but could never come close to solving Bobbitt, Brooke Mitchell or Ashley Kirchberg. The Cajuns pitching staff held the Aggies to just four hits over 28 innings of play.
Attempting to salvage at least one game in the series, NMSU sent ace Sarah Seagraves to the pitching circle to face Bobbitt. The plan backfired when Seagraves gave up three runs on three hits and didn't finish the first inning.
Seagraves got Jill Robertson to line out then struck out Danyele Gomez for the second out. The Cajuns used some two out magic to chase Seagraves from the contest.
Bryant beat out an infield single to second base and motored home on Lacey Bertucci's second RBI double of the day for a 1-0 lead. Webre sent Seagraves to the bench earlier than she would have liked when she got a hold of a pitch and powered a two-run home run over the left field fence and into the bleachers for a 3-0 lead.
A single run in the third inning combined with back-to-back RBI singles from Robertson and Gomez in the fourth inning pushed the Louisiana-Lafayette margin to 6-0. The fourth inning featured two more, 2-out RBI for the Cajuns who increased their season total in that situation to 70.
NMSU scored its only run of the series – and just its fourth all-time in 12 meetings at Ragin' Cajuns Softball Park – on a sacrifice bunt RBI off the bat of Lindsay Hainzinger in the top of the fifth inning. The Aggies loaded the bases getting a leadoff walk from Mailei Hilva, an infield single from Stephanie Herrera and a fielder's choice sacrifice from Haley Johnston. Johnston's grounder was picked up by Bobbitt who attempted to force out pinch runner Cassandra Gonzales at third base, but the throw was late.
Following the sacrifice bunt RBI from Hainzinger Bobbitt got back-to-back foul outs from Kasey Sandlin and Stacy Knight – both caught by catcher Webre – to stop a possible NMSU uprising and limit the damage to one run.
Louisiana-Lafayette came close to getting a mercy rule win after three straight hits to start the bottom of the sixth inning produced two more runs and gave the hosts an 8-1 lead. Desi Chatman tripled home Runyan (infield single) and Deserea Griffin (single to left center field). NMSU reliever Lindsay Ashley worked her way out of the jam as Kelsey Cammarata grounded out to shortstop, Brittany Bryant field out into shallow center field and Webre rolled a grounder to shortstop.
Ashley Kirchberg relieved Bobbitt in the seventh. The junior college transfer from Galveston College fanned the first two hitters and Tirre lined out to Griffin at third base for the final out.
Sunday's game two performance helped the Cajuns raise their team batting average seven points to .295. The pitching staff's ERA was lowered to 0.98 and Bobbitt improved to 6-0 overall and 2-0 in Sun Belt play.
Sunday's game was the final Sun Belt regular season contest between the Ragin' Cajuns and Aggies. NMSU leaves the Sun Belt following the 2005 season and joins the WAC for 2006. Unless they meet in the Sun Belt Tournament, the Cajuns will finish with a 20-0 record against NMSU.
No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette has no mid-week games scheduled and will return to action on Saturday, April 16 when the battle for the lead in the Sun Belt Conference race begins in a 12 p.m. (CST) doubleheader against Florida International in Miami at FIU's University Park.
Louisiana-Lafayette 8, New
Mexico State 1 (Apr 10, 2005 at Lafayette, La.) (Game 2)
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New
Mexico State.... 000 010 0 - 1 2 0 (17-23, 0-4 SUN BELT)
Louisiana-Lafayette. 301 202 X - 8 13 0 (28-7, 4-0 SUN BELT)
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Pitchers: New Mexico State - Seagraves; Carrasco(1);
Ashley(4). Louisiana-Lafayette - Bobbitt; Kirchberg(7).
Win-Bobbitt(6-0) Loss-Seagraves(12-15) T-1:48 A-412
HR UL - Webre.
GAME NOTES:
*Louisiana-Lafayette sweeps a Sun Belt series for the 18th time and has never lost a series. It was the Cajuns 31st sweep in their 35th Sun Belt doubleheader dating to the 2001 season.
*The 13 hits were the most for Louisiana-Lafayette since collecting 16 against Purdue on Feb. 20 and was the 10th double-digit hit game of the season.
*The Cajuns now lead the all-time series with New Mexico State 20-0.
*NMSU scored just four runs in 12 games played at Ragin' Cajuns Park. The one run scored in the fifth inning snapped a string of 35 2/3 innings in which the Cajuns pitchers had held the Aggies without a run scored.
*The win was the Cajuns 995th in program history - five wins shy of the 1,000th win in program history.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
