University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
* New Mexico State (DH)
Long Ball Helps Cajuns Take Third Game Against New Mexico State
4/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Sunday, April 11, 2004
LAS CRUCES, N.M. -
The home run parade was in full swing here Easter
Sunday morning at Presley Askew Field.
No. 8 Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team hit four
home runs and
scored at least one run in each inning of play en route
to posting an
8-0 five-inning, run rule rout of New Mexico State in
the third game of
the squads' Sun Belt Conference-opening series.
Four players combined for the Ragin' Cajuns' home runs
including three
in the first two innings. Louisiana-Lafayette (35-4, 3-0
Sun Belt)
picked up eight hits along the way to posting its
seventh straight
victory.
Brooke Mitchell and Heather Bobbitt combined for the
one-hit shutout.
Mitchell fanned three batters while Bobbitt struck out
two.
Mitchell picked up her 29th win of the season moving her
into the Top 5
on the all-time single-season victories list. The win
was the 75th of
her career moving her within one of tying Jennifer
Clendenin for fourth
on the career list.
The win was the program's 50th in Sun Belt competition
and improved the Cajuns to 16-0 all-time against NMSU
(9-33, 0-3 Sun Belt).
Louisiana-Lafayette put runs on the board in the first
and second
innings to open a 3-0 lead.
The Cajuns bats, which hit
five home runs in
Saturday's second game, picked up right where they left
off.
Holly Tankersley began the Cajuns home run parade in the
top of the
first when she belted one high and deep over the right
field wall.
UL Lafayette added two more home runs in the second.
Lacey Bertucci
opened the inning with a home run against the wind that
landed beyond
the left center field wall for a 2-0 edge.
Junior shortstop Tiffany Hebert collected her second
home run of the
series and third of the season when she went opposite
field with a high
fly ball that dropped over the right field wall.
Hebert's home run was enough damage for NMSU head coach
Kathy Rodolph to yank starting pitcher Jennifer Bride
from the circle. Left-handed hurler Lindsay Ashley
relieved Bride and escaped further damage striking out
Hillary Guidry looking and inducing a ground out by
Danyele Gomez after Tankersley walked.
Ashley's struggles to find the strike zone in the third
led to the Cajuns adding one more run in the frame.
Pinch hitter Leslie Pierce was hit by a pitch and
Brittany Bryant drew a walk to give the Cajuns two
runners on with no outs.
Joy Webre drove home Pierce with the Cajuns fourth run
of the contest
when she sent a single down the left field line. Webre
tried to extend
it into a double, but Bryant was sent back to second
base on the relay
and Webre was thrown out attempting to return to first.
The Aggies avoided further damage in the inning when
Ashley induced
ground outs from Bertucci and pinch hitter Desi Chatman.
Mitchell continued to cruise through the Aggies lineup
striking out two
in the third to keep NMSU off the board. Only one batter
that made
contact was able to push the ball out of the infield - a
leadoff single
in the first from Veronica Owens.
Louisiana-Lafayette took advantage of two NMSU errors in
the fourth,
producing three more runs to increase the lead to 7-0.
Hebert led off the inning with a bunt single and later
stole second.
Guidry shoved a grounder to Cassandra Gonzales at third
base, but the
throw was high and sailed over the reach of first
baseman Sarah
Stansberry allowing Hebert to round third for a score.
Guidry stole second and Tankersley drew a walk to give
the Cajuns two
baserunners. Both would move up on a wild pitch and
Guidry scored the
Cajuns second run of the inning on an error by Gonzales
at third on a
grounder from Gomez.
Tankersley finished off the scoring when she reached
home on a passed
ball that gave Louisiana-Lafayette a 7-0 lead.
UL Lafayette made it every inning with at least one run
scored when true
freshman Desi Chatman hit the Cajuns fourth home run of
the game. The
home run was Chatman's first of her career, but more
importantly gave
the Cajuns the eight-run margin they needed to force the
mercy rule and
end the game early.
Louisiana-Lafayette 8, New Mexico State 0
(Apr 11, 2004 at Las Cruces, N.M.)
(Game 1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Louisiana-Lafayette. 121 31 - 8 8 0 (35-4, 3-0
SBC)
New Mexico State.... 000 00 - 0 1 2 (9-33, 0-3
SBC)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Louisiana-Lafayette - Mitchell; Bobbitt(4).
New Mexico State -
Bride; Ashley(2).
Win-Mitchell(29-3) Loss-Bride(3-18) T-1:38 A-0
HR UL - Tankersley (11); Bertucci (8); Chatman (1);
Hebert (3).
Game notes:
*Game 3 of series
*Cajuns 50th Sun Belt Conference win
*Brooke Mitchell moves one win from fourth place on
career victories
list
*Desi Chatman hits her first career home run
*Cajuns win their seventh straight, improve to 16-0
all-time vs. NMSU
GAME TWO
No. 8 Louisiana-Lafayette was unable to complete the
second game of its Easter Sunday doubleheader with New
Mexico State here at Presley Askew Field as rain
showers terminated the contest after two innings of
play.
The Cajuns (35-4, 3-0 Sun Belt) were at bat in the top
of the third inning and ahead 5-0 when rain began
falling at a heavier pace, forcing a rain delay at
1:40 p.m. (MT).
The game was officially terminated by game officials
after a one hour,
40 minute delay and it was evident that the rain
showers weren't going
to stop in time for Louisiana-Lafayette to make its
flight which was
scheduled for 5:30 p.m. (MT).
The game will not be made up and the stats will not
count toward either
team's record. A game must be through five innings
complete to count as
an official contest.
Louisiana-Lafayette wins the series 3-0 and will
return to action on
Wednesday, April 14 in a 4 p.m. doubleheader at
Louisiana Tech to wrap
up its current road trip.
The Cajuns will be back at Ragin' Cajuns Softball Park
next weekend as
they host Florida International in a four-game, Sun
Belt series Saturday-Sunday, April 17-18. Both
doubleheaders will begin at 1 p.m.
-LOUISIANA'S RAGIN'
CAJUNS-
