University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Baylor
Second Late-Inning Rally Leads to Victory
4/6/2007 5:00:00 AM | Softball
On Sunday it was a six-run, fifth inning outburst that carried the Ragin' Cajuns (12-1) all the way back from an early 3-0 hole to an 8-3 win in the championship contest of the tournament.
Holly Tankersley, named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, clinched the game for the hosts when she belted a grand slam that broke a 3-all tie.
Freshman pitcher Brittany Cuevas retired nine of the final 11 Baylor batters that she faced allowing only two hits in the final three innings. She improved to 7-0 on the season with the victory.
Tankersley led all players with four RBI and the grand slam was her fourth home run of the tournament. She finished the weekend with 10 RBI.
Cuevas scattered five hits over the final six innings after the Bears (10-2) posted three runs on three hits in the bottom of the first inning for her second victory over BU in the tournament and her third victory over a ranked team this season.
Baylor struck first this time as
Cuevas would give up two more hits in the second inning, but would allow only three more hits the rest of the way.
BU starting pitcher Kirsten Shortridge was able to keep the Ragin' Cajuns at bay through the first three innings. The Cajuns were done quick in the first inning when Runyan lined into a double play that erased Meagan Godwin's leadoff single. Shortsridge then held UL without a hit in the second and third innings.
The Cajuns began to chip away at BU and Shortride in the fourth inning when Runyan started the frame with a home run into the left field bleachers trimming the Bears' lead to 3-1.
After surviving two fielding errors in the bottom of the fourth inning Cuevas would strand two Baylor runners keeping the lead at 3-1.
That was the calm before a rocky fifth inning for the visitors that vaulted the home team into the lead for good.
UL began the fifth getting a pinch hit double from Desi Chatman. Karli Hubbard then shoved an infield single to shortstop giving the Cajuns two baserunners.
A Vallie Gaspard sacrifice bunt attempt set the wheels in motion and eventually chased Shortridge from the game. On the bunt, BU third baseman Brette Reagan's throw sailed wide of first base and rolled down the right field line. The Bears would recover to catch Chatman attempting to score for the first out. Meanwhile Hubbard and Gaspard moved to second and third base.
The Bears elected to make a pitching change and bring in Lisa Ferguson.
Godwin stepped up and looped a single into shallow center field just over the reach of the defense scoring Hubbard to slice the BU lead to 3-2. Runyan then drew a walk to load the bases for Lacey Bertucci.
Bertucci also got a free pass from
With all runners on base under her responsibility, the game was in
A few pitches later and Tankersley untied the game with a grand slam home run to center field putting the Cajuns in front 7-3.
UL added one more run in the sixth inning when a dropped foul ball continued the at bat of Gaspard allowing her to single into shallow left field and advance Hubbard (one-out bunt single) over to second base. Two batters later Runyan dropped a single into center field scoring Hubbard for her second run of the game making it 8-3.
The victory gave UL the championship of the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational ? the squad's second tournament title of the season.
The Cajuns improved to 11-0 this season at
