University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Purdue
Tankersley's Double-Threat Bests Purdue
4/6/2007 5:00:00 AM | Softball
Tankersley struck out a career-high 11 batters from the pitcher's circle. At the plate, the junior form
Her efforts paced the Cajuns' 10-2 win in six innings over the Boilermakers (1-7), a win which improved the team to 3-0 in the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational setting up a showdown with No. 17 Baylor at
The Cajuns ended the game with three home runs and had six different players record at least one RBI.
Louisiana-Lafayette (10-1) went through the batting order in the bottom of the first inning en route to registering six runs. All of the damage was done with two outs.
Meagan Godwin started things off with a single up the middle. She was erased on a fielder's choice grounder by Codi Runyan.
After Lacey Bertucci struck out swinging for the second out, Tankersley stepped up to the plate and delivered the first blow of the game with a home run to left center scoring Godwin and giving the Cajuns an early 2-0 lead.
Melissa Verde singled into left center and then Desi Chatman drew a walk to put two runners on board. Tara Hamilton followed with a double into left center to score Verde and make it 3-0.
With Chatman now on third, Karli Hubbard executed a bunt single to score Chatman with the fourth run. Keeping up the aggressive baserunning Hubbard stole second giving the Cajuns two runners in scoring position.
Vallie Gaspard then dumped a single into shallow left field scoring
Purdue scratched for two runs in the fifth inning when a throwing error by Runyan allowed Alicia Spack to reach base. Tankersley recorded back-to-back strikeouts with runners on second and third base. The error at the beginning of the inning kept Purdue's at bat going and Ashley Hall singled through the right side scoring two runs trimming the UL lead to 6-2.
Tankersley led off the Cajuns' half of the fifth inning with her second home run of the contest moving the UL lead to 7-2.
Tankersley then struck out three Boilermakers to wrap up the top of the sixth inning before the Cajuns posted three more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to end the game on the eight-run mercy rule.
Hubbard started the bottom of the sixth with a perfectly placed bunt single. Lana Bowers pinch hit for Gaspard and ripped a line drive double down the left field line scoring Hubbard from first to push the lead to 8-2.
Godwin abruptly ended the contest when she walked up and crushed a two-run home run to left center. The home run made the score 10-2 and enforced the mercy rule.
Tankersley held Purdue to only three hits over six innings and didn't allow a single earned run. She improved to 5-1 on the season and has now gone 13 innings in the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational with only five hits allowed.
The Ragin' Cajuns wrap up round robin play in the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational at
