University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
No. 1 Arizona
Cajuns Stun Arizona With Home Run Power, Mitchell's Arm
5/22/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Saturday, May 22, 2004
Consider that mission accomplished after Saturday evening's elimination contest with top-ranked Arizona.
Brooke Mitchell, pitching for the second consecutive game on the day, tossed a complete-game shutout of the host-Wildcats as the Ragin' Cajuns eliminated UA from the tournament and became directly responsible for the Wildcats not advancing to the Women's College World Series for the first time since 1987.
The offense backed up Mitchell with three home runs off of Arizona ace and USA Softball Player of the Year Finalist Alicia Hollowell in posting a 5-0 win.
Danyele Gomez homered twice and Holly Tankersley added a two-run shot to set the single-season record for home runs.
The ninth-ranked Cajuns (59-7) exacted a measure of revenge against Hollowell who had twirled a pair of one-hit shutouts in two previous meetings including the winner's bracket semifinals on Friday.
Louisiana-Lafayette ended the day with 10 hits off of one of three finalists for the Player of the Year award.
The win was Louisiana-Lafayette's third straight when facing elimination this weekend and advanced the Cajuns into the championship round of an NCAA Regional for the 11th time in 14 appearances.
"It is good to win,” said head coach Stefni Lotief. “We expect to win games. Arizona is an awesome team and an awesome softball environment.
“We have a lot of respect for this Arizona team and their play,” Lotief added. “We will celebrate this win for about five or ten minutes and then come back tomorrow with our 'A' game.”
UL Lafayette will face second-seeded Oklahoma (43-19-1) for the right to advance to the Women's College World Series beginning at 3 p.m. (CDT) Sunday. The Cajuns will need to defeat the Sooners twice if they are to make it two years in a row in Oklahoma City and a fifth time in program history.
A first-inning home run by Gomez into the left center field bleachers set the tone for the Cajuns monumental victory and proved that today wasn't Hollowell's day.
The homer was sandwiched around three Hollowell strikeouts but stated that the Cajuns weren't going to back down.
Gomez went 3-for-4 at the plate with a pair of solo home runs. Along with Tankersley, she led the team with two RBI.
"We brought our game today," Gomez said. "This was a very big game. Arizona is the least likely to lay down in a game."
Tankersley made history and delivered the crushing blow in the Cajuns very next at bat.
With one run already having crossed the plate after a Desi Chatman pinch hit RBI single, Tankersley hit a rocket shot over the right field fence that clanged off of the building 30 feet beyond the wall to put the Cajuns on top 4-0.
The home run was the true freshman's team-leading 21st of the season – a tally which sets the program record for home runs and eclipses the 20 hit by Gomez last season.
It was Chatman's pinch hit single into right field that set the stage for Tankersley's blast. With a runner on second and one out, the Cajuns coaching staff took a chance on the freshman and it paid off with huge dividends.
Gomez turned the trick for a second time when she lifted a home run to straightaway center field in the fifth inning to give Louisiana-Lafayette a 5-0 lead.
That was all Mitchell would need as she stranded 11 Arizona baserunners and worked her way out of a bases loaded jam in the first inning.
After that UA never threatened again until the fifth inning when Caitlin Lowe, the leadoff hitter, led off the inning with a single into left field. Mitchell danced around the heart of the Wildcats order striking out Allison von Liechtenstein and inducing a pop up from power-hitter Jackie Coburn.
UA's last hope to scratch for a run was a leadoff double off the bat of Kristie Fox in the sixth inning. Candace Abrams was then hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second with no outs.
Mitchell clamped down and retired the next three Wildcat hitters in order to preserve the shutout.
The junior ace hurler worked a scoreless seventh for her 14th complete game shutout of the season and second of the day. Earlier in the day, Mitchell tossed a complete game, three-hit shutout of Northwestern (Ill.).
"I had a lot of defense behind me,” said Mitchell. “The team worked together today. We are ready to go for tomorrow."
The shutout was the first suffered by Arizona at Hillenbrand Stadium since Feb. 21, 2003, when Oklahoma State's Lauren Bay turned the trick in a 1-0 decision. The five-run loss was Hollowell's largest of the season.
No. 9 Louisiana-Lafayette 5,
No. 1 Arizona 0
(May 22, 2004 at Tucson, Ariz.)
---------------------------------------------------------------Arizona.............
000 000 0 - 0 6 0 (55-6)
Louisiana-Lafayette. 130 010 X - 5 10 1 (59-7)
---------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers:
Arizona - Hollowell. Louisiana-Lafayette - Mitchell.
Win-Mitchell(44-4) Loss-Hollowell(41-4) T-2:30 A-1561
HR UL - Tankersley (21); Gomez 2 (13).
GAME NOTES:
*Mitchell's second shutout of the day and third of the
regional tournament.
*Arizona eliminated from the regional and will not
advance to the Women's College World Series for the
first time since 1987. *Cajuns advance to face Oklahoma
in championship round. Must win twice to advance to WCWS.
*Louisiana-Lafayette will make its 11th appearance on
Championship Sunday.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
