University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns: Softball
5/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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Timely Hits
Propel Cajuns Past North Texas in Sun Belt Tourney Opener
Thursday, May 12, 2005
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – In postseason play the team that can come up with the clutch hits in the right situations is usually the team that finds itself on the winning side in the victory column. Such was the case for the 14th-ranked Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team on Thursday at the Sun Belt Conference Tournament. No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette (48-8) began its postseason run here Thursday with a 4-2 victory over North Texas at the WKU Softball Field in the quarterfinals of the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Tournament, using timely hits to key the victory. None was timelier than senior left fielder Crystal George's one-out solo shot in the bottom of the fifth that broke a 2-2 tie and sent the Ragin' Cajuns to the winner's bracket semifinals of the tournament. George's home run, her third of the season, was the answer Louisiana-Lafayette needed after the Mean Green had struck for two runs in the top half of the fifth inning to tie the contest. Louisiana-Lafayette was held to five hits, but the hits the Cajuns did get were huge ones that brought home runs. Of the five base hits the Cajuns collected, three were roundtrippers. Ashley Evans came through with a big hit to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning when she drove a liner over the center field wall that gave the Cajuns an insurance run and made it 4-2. “That's postseason softball, clutch hits at the right time,” said Cajuns co-head coach Michael Lotief. “It wasn't our best effort, but we got big hits at the right time and when we needed a big out in their big inning Heather (Bobbitt) came through with a huge strikeout.” Evans ended the game 2-for-3 with one double, one home run and two RBI. It was a two-out double by the West Monroe native in the bottom of the first – the first of the Cajuns timely hits – that plated Jill Robertson (leadoff walk) with the first run of the contest. Joy Webre notched her eighth home run of the 2005 campaign with a leadoff home run over the left field fence in the second inning to make it 2-0. The home run was Webre's 33rd of her career moving her into fourth place on the career charts. Heather Bobbitt was cruising through the Mean Green lineup through three innings as no NT hitter managed to reach base. The no-hitter was broken up in the fourth inning when Katya Muller singled into right field. The Mean Green (14-37) tested Bobbitt's resolve in the top of the fifth inning. Susan Waters led off with a single in shallow left center. After a Christen Jonse fielder's choice grounder, Brittiny Chapman singled through the left side and Monica Garcia doubled off the left field wall in the next at bat to score the Mean Green's first run of the game. A two-out bunt, with runners on second and third base, by Kelei Walker was misplayed by Bobbitt allowing Chapman to score an unearned run and tie the game at 2-2. Bobbitt, making her first career postseason start in the circle, could have let her nerves do her in and the Mean Green do more damage as runners were on second and third base. However, the sophomore pitcher from Vidor, Texas, came up with a strikeout to end the Mean Green's rally and set the tone for the bottom half of the fifth. “Some of our kids were playing in the postseason for the first time and that's not an easy thing to do,” co-head coach Michael Lotief mentioned. “I'm proud of the way they handled the situation, particularly Heather.” Bobbitt's stopper was followed up with George's answer – a solo home run that clinched the victory. The home run was George's first since April 20 and couldn't have come at a better time. Bobbitt preserved the victory, her first career Sun Belt Tournament victory, retiring six of the last seven batters that she faced. She struck out the first two NT hitters in the seventh inning and induced a grounder from Garcia to end the game. Bobbitt improved to 17-0 on the season as she struck out six for the game and allowed only five hits. The win was the Ragin' Cajuns eighth straight overall and kept Louisiana-Lafayette undefeated in SBC Tournament play at 17-0. No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette will continue action in the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the squad faces the winner of Thursday night's Western Kentucky-Florida International game at 4 p.m. on Friday with a berth in Saturday's championship game one the line. Fans interested in following the game can log on www.louisiana.edu/softball for live stats or www.sunbeltsports.tv for a webcast of the contest. Louisiana-Lafayette 4, North
Texas 2 (May 12, 2005 at Bowling Green, Ky.) Game notes: ***Louisiana-Lafayette's Sun Belt Tournament opener ***Heather Bobbitt's first career Sun Belt Tournament start ***Cajuns are now 17-0 all-time in SBC Tournament play ***Louisiana-Lafayette will play the Western Kentucky-FIU winner in the winner's bracket semifinals at 4 p.m. on Friday -- Ragin' Cajuns -- |
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