University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Reach 20-Win Plateau at Home For Eighth Straight Season
4/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Saturday, April 1, 2006
LAFAYETTE – With a 9-1 (6 inn.) victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi here Saturday afternoon in game one of a doubleheader the 13th-ranked Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team reached 20 wins at home for the eighth straight season.
No. 13 Louisiana-Lafayette (28-6) moved to 20-0 at Alfred and Helen Lamson Ragin' Cajuns Softball Park continuing a string of 20-win seasons at the park that began in the 1999 campaign.
The Ragin' Cajuns also extended their home winning streak which is now at 34 straight games – the longest streak at the park in the Lotief Era. The school record home win streak is 53 set between the 1993 and 1994 seasons.
UL benefited from a combined six hits between the Nos. 3-4-5 hitters in the lineup and four RBI from Brittany Bryant. Bryant hit her sixth home run of the season driving home three runs in a four-run first inning.
The Cajuns improved to 5-0 on their current six-game homestand with Saturday's scheduled second game against TAMUCC (6-25) closing out the stretch.
Codi Runyan drew a walk to start the Cajuns at bat in the first inning – one of three walks she drew in the game – and moved into scoring position on an infield single from Danyele Gomez. Lacey Bertucci rifled a single up the middle the middle of the infield that rolled into center field allowing Runyan to score giving the Cajuns a 1-0 lead.
Islanders starting pitcher Jennifer Cummings got Ashley Evans to line out to shortstop and Holly Tankersley to ground out to shortstop for two quick outs.
Bryant kept the inning alive and pushed across three more runs when she launched the ball over the outfield fence in left field to push the lead to 4-0.
An RBI single from Tankersley and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Bryant scored two more runs for UL and moved the lead to 6-0.
The Islanders scored their lone run of the contest in the top of the fourth inning. Crystal Russell hit a blooper in the infield that was just over the reach of Krystal Lewallen and rolled slowly to Runyan at shortstop allowing Russell to reach base.
Russell stole second base and later stole third base on a putout attempted on a dropped third strike on Brenda Gurrero's at bat. On the very next at bat a soft hit fly ball from Brittany Green dropped in shallow left field allowing Russell to score.
An Evans walk and Bryant getting hit by pitch gave UL a runner in scoring position. Deserea Griffin seized the opportunity and singled through the right side to get Evans home and give the Cajuns a 7-1 advantage.
Jessica Lemoine walked to load the bases and move Griffin into scoring position. The Islanders attempted to get Bryant leaning off of third base, but the throw from Julia Monsivais was high and out of the reach of third baseman Andrea Gonzalez allowing Bryant to scamper home and score the Cajuns' eighth run of the contest.
Krystal Martinez entered in the sixth inning to relieve Cummings and surrendered three hits with no outs which resulted in the Cajuns increasing their lead to 9-1 ending the game early on the run rule.
Bertucci began the sixth with a single through the left side. She moved over to second base on a wild pitch and advanced to third base when Evans dumped a single into left field. Tankersley followed with her own single through the left side to score Bertucci with the game-ending run.
Krystal Lewallen earned her 16th win of the 2006 season and advanced her season ledger to 16-4. Lewallen picked up her 95th career victory moving her within five victories of 100 in her career.
The Cajuns posted their 16th run-rule victory of the 2006 campaign and have now run-ruled an opponent in 14 of 20 games played at Lamson Park this season. UL got a run-rule win for the third straight outing (run-ruled SFA twice on Friday).
The win avenged a pair of losses that the Cajuns suffered to TAMUCC in their last meeting on April 21, 2004. UL increased its series lead to 7-2.
The two teams returned to the field at approximately 1:25 p.m., to complete their doubleheader.
#13 Louisiana-Lafayette 9, A&M-Corpus Christi 1 (Apr 01,
2006 at Lafayette, La.)
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A&M-Corpus Christi.. 000 100 - 1 7
1 (6-25)
Louisiana-Lafayette. 402 021 - 9 9
0 (28-6)
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Pitchers: A&M-Corpus Christi - Cummings; Martinez(6).
Louisiana-Lafayette - Lewallen.
Win-Lewallen(16-4) Loss-Cummings(2-14)
T-1:45
HR UL - Bryant.
Martinez faced 3 batters in the 6th.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
