NORMAN,
Okla. – For the second straight game on Saturday
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team fell behind 3-0 in
the first inning. And for the second straight game the
team's rally came up just short.
Second-seeded Oregon (36-24) plated
three runs in the top of the first inning with a two-out
double by Kayleen Hudson being the difference maker as the
Ducks handed third-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette (51-10) a 3-1
loss in an elimination game in NCAA Regional No. 14 at the
OU Softball Complex.
The Ragin' Cajuns scratched for a run
in the fourth inning to cut the lead to 3-1, but the one
base hit in that inning was all the squad could tally off of
Oregon starting pitcher Alicia Cook.
With the loss Louisiana-Lafayette had
its 2005 season ended as the team was eliminated from the
2005 NCAA Tournament. The Cajuns finished 1-2 in NCAA
Regional No. 14.
The game marked the end of the careers
of five seniors – Crystal George, Tiffany Hebert, Brooke Mitchell, Jill Robertson and Joy Webre.
Ashley Kirchberg put forth a valiant
effort in her first career NCAA Regional start. The junior
college transfer from Galveston College struck out seven
batters and kept the Ducks hitless in the final six innings.
Aside from one walk and two fielding errors she retired 17
of the final 20 Oregon hitters that she faced which included
retiring the side in order in the third, fifth and sixth
innings.
The first inning began with a leadoff
single by Lovena Chaput into right field. Kristi Leiter and
Beth Boskovich collected walks and the Ducks had the bases
loaded with no outs. Ashley Richards lifted a sacrifice fly
deep into center field near the warning track allowing
Chaput to tag for a 1-0 lead.
Kirchberg struck out Breanne Sabol
looking for the second out of the inning. Kirchberg seemed
to work her way out of the jam getting ahead in the count on
Hudson. However, the Northglenn, Colo., native fought off
several pitches before placing a two-RBI double just inches
inside the left field foul line. The double rolled far
enough to allowing both runs to score and push the Oregon
lead to 3-0.
After three straight innings of being
retired in order by Cook, the Cajuns finally worked a
baserunner on in the fourth inning.
Robertson pushed a hard grounder to
Sabol at shortstop who fielded and threw wide allowing
Robertson to reach first base. Danyele Gomez collected the
Cajuns first hit of the contest when she rifled a grounder
through the left side of the infield to give the Cajuns two
baserunners.
Back-to-back fielder's choice
grounders from Webre and Ashley Evans moved Robertson around
the corner at into home for a run that trimmed the Oregon
lead to 3-1.
Louisiana-Lafayette's rally would end
short as Cook retired the side in order during in the sixth
and seventh innings.
The Cajuns ended 1-2 in NCAA Regional
play for the first time since 2002. Louisiana-Lafayette is
now 13-9 under co-head coaches Stefni and Michael Lotief and
32-23 all-time in NCAA Regional play.
