University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
* New Mexico State (DH)
Cajuns Break Out the Lumber to Complete Sweep of NMSU
4/10/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Saturday, April 10, 2004
LAS CRUCES, N.M. –
No. 8 Louisiana-Lafayette unleashed the lumber in the
second game of its Sun Belt Conference-opening series
with New Mexico State, crushing five home runs in
posting an 8-0 run-rule win over the host-Aggies here
Saturday afternoon at Presley Askew Field.
The Cajuns got two RBI apiece from Ashley Evans (left) and Joy Webre and ended the game win nine hits to earn the doubleheader sweep.
Brooke Mitchell and Heather Bobbitt combined for the five-hit shutout of the Aggies.
Mitchell tossed three innings, striking out five NMSU batters and allowing just two hits to pick up the win and improve to 28-3 on the season. Bobbitt pitched the final two innings and struck out four.
Five different players combined for the home runs as the Cajuns increased their season total to 59.
The win helped the Cajuns (34-4, 2-0 Sun Belt) complete the twinbill sweep. Earlier in the day, Mitchell fanned eight over five innings and the offense pounded out 10 hits in a 7-2 victory.
Louisiana-Lafayette extended its winning streak to six games and improved to 15-0 all-time versus New Mexico State.
A change in wind direction in the second inning worked in the Cajuns advantage as UL Lafayette opened up a 3-0 lead. The wind shifted at the start of the inning, blowing straight out the park after coming in the first inning and much of the first game of the doubleheader.
Louisiana-Lafayette got back-to-back-to-back home runs with two outs in the second inning. Joy Webre, Lacey Bertucci and Tiffany Hebert each homered as the Cajuns grabbed the early lead.
Rain began to fall in the middle of the inning forcing a 1:40 rain delay.
The time off didn't seem to phase Mitchell who struck out the side in the Aggies half of the second inning.
NMSU starter Jennifer Bride ran into trouble in the third inning walking two Cajun batters. Webre made her pay, lifting a double over Veronica Owens in center field scoring Ashley Evans from second for a 4-0 lead.
Mitchell sat down the Aggies in order once more in the third. She would later be relieved by Heather Bobbitt in the fourth inning.
An error by NMSU shortstop Rose Tirre with two outs in the fourth led to three more runs by Louisiana-Lafayette. Danyele Gomez hit a high pop-up into shallow left field that Tirre dropped after tracking it down to keep the inning alive.
Tirre's error allowed Hillary Guidry to round third for the first of three unearned runs by the Cajuns in the inning. On the next at bat after the error, Evans crushed an offering from Bride and sent it deep over the left field wall for two more runs that made it 7-0.
The Cajuns were able to close out the game before regulation thanks in part to a Leslie Pierce solo home run to left center. Pierce's homer, the Cajuns fifth of the game, pushed the lead to eight runs and invoked the mercy rule.
The two teams will conclude the four-game Sun Belt series Sunday with a doubleheader slated for 1 p.m. (CT).
Louisiana-Lafayette 8, New Mexico State 0
(Apr 10, 2004 at Las Cruces, N.M.)
(Game 2)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Louisiana-Lafayette. 031 31 - 8 9 1 (34-4, 2-0 SBC)
New Mexico State.... 000 00 - 0 5 2 (9-32, 0-2 SBC)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Louisiana-Lafayette - Mitchell; Bobbitt(4).
New Mexico State - Carrasco; Bride(2).
Win-Mitchell(28-3) Loss-Carrasco(3-8) T-3:15 A-140
HR UL - Evans (5); Webre (10); Pierce (4); Bertucci (8);
Hebert (3).
GAME NOTES:
**Cajuns sweep fifth doubleheader of the season
**UL Lafayette now 15-0 all-time versus NMSU
**Game delayed one hour, 40 minutes due to rain showers
GAME ONE
No. 8
Louisiana-Lafayette racked up 10 hits and got another
strong pitching effort from junior ace hurler Brooke Mitchell in posting a 7-2 Sun Belt Conference-opening
victory over New Mexico State here Saturday afternoon at
Presley Askew Field.
Hillary Guidry, Crystal George and Tiffany Hebert each picked up two hits to lead the Ragin' Cajuns offensive attack. Hebert along with Ashley Evans each had two RBI.
Mitchell fanned eight Aggie hitters through five innings and surrendered just one hit. Heather Bobbitt relieved Mitchell in the sixth and held NMSU to two hits and two unearned runs.
The win improved the Cajuns (33-4, 1-0 Sun Belt) to 4-0 all-time in Sun Belt openers and extended the team's win streak to five games.
Mitchell collected
her 27th win of the season, setting a new personal
single-season best and improving her record to 27-3. The
2004 USA Softball Player of the Year Award finalist
extended her streak of innings without an earned run
allowed 16 2/3 innings.
The Cajuns opened the scoring in the top of the second when junior shortstop Tiffany Hebert laced a two-RBI single into left field to give UL Lafayette a 2-0 lead.
Louisiana-Lafayette benefited from the leadoff batter reaching base for the second straight inning.
Brittany Bryant drew a leadoff walk and later stole second with Crystal George at bat. George singled into shallow right field to give the Cajuns runners on the corners with no outs.
Two batters later,
Hebert ripped the run scoring single as the Cajuns
jumped out on top first.
Hillary Guidry picked up her second hit of the contest on the next at bat when she lifted a double into the left center field gap that scored Hebert for a 3-0 advantage.
Aggie pitcher Jennifer Bride kept the Cajuns at bay through four innings after she stranded two runners in the top of the fourth.
Evans hit her fourth home run of the season in the fifth inning, a two-run blast deep over the left field wall to increase the lead to 5-0.
The home run chased Bride from the game. Reliever Stephanie Carrasco got the final two outs of the inning.
Louisiana-Lafayette tacked on two more runs in the sixth, to put the game out of reach, getting an RBI double from Holly Tankersley and an RBI single from Danyele Gomez.
The Aggies pushed across two unearned runs when a Christine Collins throwing error on a force play at second base allowed NMSU to prolong the bottom half of the seventh.
Louisiana-Lafayette 7, New Mexico State 2
(Apr 10, 2004 at Las Cruces, N.M.)
(Game 1)
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Louisiana-Lafayette. 030 022 0 - 7 10 1 (33-4, 1-0 SBC)
New Mexico State.... 000 000 2 - 2 3 0 (9-31, 0-1 SBC)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Louisiana-Lafayette - Mitchell; Bobbitt(6).
New Mexico State - Bride; Carrasco(5); Ashley(6).
Win-Mitchell(27-3) Loss-Bride(3-17) T-2:16
HR UL - Evans.
GAME NOTES:
**Louisiana-Lafayette's fifth straight victory
**UL Lafayette now 4-0 all-time in Sun Belt openers
**Cajuns now lead the series 14-0
**Brooke Mitchell sets a new personal single-season best
for victories **Both of NMSU's runs in the seventh were
unearned after a Christine Collins throwing error
prolonged the bottom of the seventh
-LOUISIANA'S RAGIN' CAJUNS-
