University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
No. 21 Oklahoma
Cajuns Record-Breaking Season Ends One Game Short of the College World Series
5/23/2005 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Sunday, May 23, 2004
The Cajuns (60-8) record-breaking season, which was extended after a 12-4 rout of Oklahoma earlier in the day, ended just one step short of its final destination as the second-seeded Sooners (44-20-1) posted a 15-0 victory to advance to the Women's College World Series.
The Cajuns, playing out of the elimination bracket and trying to win back-to-back games for the second straight day, looked exhausted from the blazing desert sun and were never able to catch up. It marked the third straight day that UL Lafayette was forced to play consecutive games.
OU struck for 11 runs in the first two innings and batted around the lineup twice to regain the momentum after the Cajuns had delivered their own blow in the first game.
The loss ended the 2004 season for Louisiana-Lafayette, but it was one filled with momentous occasions. The Cajuns posted a school-record 60 wins, 87 home runs and clinched the program's fourth straight Sun Belt Conference regular season championship and sixth straight NCAA Regional bid.
The Cajuns left the regional site with wins over every team seeded higher than them including a 5-0 win over top-ranked Arizona which snapped the Wildcats streak of 16 consecutive WCWS appearances.
Four players were named to the All-Region team – Ashley Evans (9-for-20, six runs), Danyele Gomez (10-for-26, three doubles, two home runs, four RBI), Brooke Mitchell (four victories, three shutouts, 40 strikeouts) and Holly Tankersley (1 home run, five RBI, 10 strikeouts).
"These kids are champions,” said Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Stefni Lotief. “We are really proud of the way they came back after going through the loser's bracket. I am so proud of them.”
"We had an incredible season,” Lotief added. “This team is filled with a lot of accomplished players. They feel a lot of pride. Right now they're just hurting a little bit. They just came up a bit short."
Mitchell, the junior ace hurler who recorded single-season records for victories (45) and strikeouts (524) and gave it her all each pitch every appearance, gave it her best shot at attempting to throw back-to-back complete games for the second straight day, but understandingly so could not find her All-American groove.
Mitchell completed 1 2/3 innings and was touched for 10 runs (nine earned) off of nine OU hits.
The Sooners came out swinging in the first, putting six runs on the board keyed by as many hits including a two-run single by Christina Enea, a run-scoring hit by Mariee Mena and a three-run double by Kami Keiter.
The Sooners chased Mitchell (45-5), who was pitching in her sixth game in two days, in favor of Holly Tankersley.
OU batted around again in the second inning, this time plating five runs on four hits, with another RBI from Enea, two more from Mena and an RBI from April Valdez.
Lotief pulled Tankersley in the first of a couple switches back and forth by she and Mitchell, trying to do something to quell the OU offensive production.
OU started out double, fly ball, double, home run in the third by Kristin Vesely, Heather Scaglione, Enea and Jessica Leslie, to underscore what the outcome would be. OU took a 14-0 lead into the bottom of the third.
Vesely picked up another RBI single in the fourth to give the Sooners a 15-0 lead.
Oklahoma 15,
Louisiana-Lafayette 0
(May 23, 2004 at Tucson, Ariz.)
---------------------------------------------------------------Oklahoma............
653 10 - 15 15 0 (44-20-1)
Louisiana-Lafayette. 000 00 - 0 4 1 (60-8)
---------------------------------------------------------------Pitchers:
Oklahoma - Keiter. Louisiana-Lafayette - Mitchell;
Tankersley(2).
Win-Keiter(21-13) Loss-Mitchell(45-5) T-1:58
HR OU - Leslie.
Tankersley faced 4 batters in the 2nd.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
