University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns: Softball
5/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
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Opening With
a Bang: Cajuns Unleash Home Run Power on Oregon in NCAA
Regional Opener
Friday, May 20, 2005
Third-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette (51-8) cranked out four home runs as a team – tying the NCAA Tournament single-game record – in posting a 7-5 victory over second-seeded Oregon (34-24) which placed the team in the winner's bracket of the regional heading into Saturday's play. The victory sets up the Ragin' Cajuns with a possible showdown against top seed Oklahoma which would be a rematch of last season's NCAA Regional No. 1 championship game. The Sooners took on fourth seed Wichita State approximately 30 minutes following the Cajuns-Ducks contest. Louisiana-Lafayette teed off on Oregon's Amy Harris for the second time in postseason play. Harris was the pitcher of record in the Cajuns' 6-4 win in the 2003 NCAA Regional No. 6 in Fullerton, Calif., which advanced Louisiana-Lafayette to the 2003 Women's College World Series. On that day in May 2003, Harris lasted only 1/3 inning giving up four runs. Friday in Norman the Cajuns touched Harris for four home runs getting one apiece from Danyele Gomez, Lacey Bertucci, Tiffany Hebert and Joy Webre. Hebert's and Webre's homers were solo shots, but they were runs that Cajuns used after Oregon made a late push in the sixth inning.
Bobbitt pitched 1 1/3 innings of hitless softball for her second save of the season. “It was a thriller and a well-played game on both sides,” said co-head coach Stefni Lotief. “It was hot out there but it was nice the way we swung the bat. “I give kudos to our hitters and coach Mike Lotief for getting us ready for the game,” Lotief continued. “We're used to being the underdog. We try to play each pitch the best we can. We can't control who is on the other side of the field. All we try to do is play Ragin' Cajun softball the best we can.” It took Louisiana-Lafayette only two at bats to claim the lead it would not surrender. After a Jill Robertson fly out to center field led off the game, Gomez sent a line drive into the set of bleachers in left field for a solo home run that put the Cajuns up 1-0 in the first inning. The home run was Gomez's team-leading 20th of the season – the second time in her career she's reached 20-plus home runs (had 20 as a freshman in 2003). The Ducks threatened in the bottom of the first inning getting a bases loaded situation with one out after Mitchell hit back-to-back batters following a one-out single from Kristi Leiter. Mitchell took out Breanne Sabol and Dani Baird, getting them both to go down swinging as Oregon left the bases loaded. Mitchell settled in after the first inning allowing only two baserunners, but never a timely hit inducing grounders and lazy fly outs from the Ducks' bats. Mitchell bought time and the Cajuns offense opened the game wide open in the fourth inning.
Bertucci followed with a towering home run that cleared the bleachers beyond the center field wall to increase the margin to 4-0. Oregon got the run back in the bottom half of the fourth inning when Sabol led off with a leadoff single into center field, stole second and scored on a two-out RBI single from Kayleen Hudson. Ashley Evans rifled a one-out double in the fifth inning and moved to third on the next at bat when Webre singled through the left side. Webre's single set up a double-steal attempt which paid dividends. Evans scampered home with the Cajuns fifth run after Oregon catcher Ashley Richards made the throw down to second in an attempt to catch Webre. Of all the home runs hit in the contest by Louisiana-Lafayette none proved more worthy than a one-out, solo home run off the bat of nine-hole hitter Hebert in the top of the sixth inning. The home run pushed the Cajuns lead to 6-1 and gave the squad the extra run it needed to hold off an Oregon uprising in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Ducks struck for four runs in the sixth inning after Mitchell began to tire under the hot sun. Hudson drew a one-out walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on a single by Suzie Barnes. Lovena Chaput drew the second walk of the inning issued by Mitchell to load the bases. Hudson scored on a ground out by Leiter. Oregon crept within one run following the groundout when Boskovich cranked a three-run homer to dead center field to cut the Cajuns lead to 6-5. The Cajuns coaching staff decided that the Ducks had gotten too close for comfort and relieved Mitchell with Bobbitt. Bobbitt got Richards to pop out to Codi Runyan at shortstop to end the inning. Webre tallied her ninth home run of the season and gave Bobbitt a little bit of breathing room when she began the top of the seventh with a solo home run that gave Louisiana-Lafayette a 7-5 lead. Bobbitt worked a perfect seventh inning retiring the Ducks in order to collect the save and secure the victory for the Ragin' Cajuns. No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette picked up its third straight opening-round victory and improved to 11-4 all-time in NCAA Regionals openers. The four home runs increased the team's 2005 season total to 80 – the second straight season with 80-plus home runs. LINE SCORE GAME NOTES: *** Cajuns advance to 1 p.m. winner's bracket finals on Saturday against top seed Oklahoma (48-15) *** Danyele Gomez's solo home run in the first inning was her 20th of the season. It marked the second time in her three-year career that she has hit 20-plus home runs. She needs one more to tie Holly Tankersley's school single-season record of 21 home runs. *** Cajuns improve to 11-4 all-time in NCAA Regional openers. *** Louisiana-Lafayette assured of winning at least one NCAA Regionals game for the 14th time in 15 appearances. *** Heather Bobbitt's first career NCAA Regionals save. -- Ragin' Cajuns -- |
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NORMAN,
Okla.
– The 14th-ranked Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team
put its home run machine in high gear here in Friday's NCAA
Regional No. 14 opener with Oregon. In the end, each and
every one of the squad's home runs paid off. 
Webre
led off the inning with a walk and 
