University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
McNeese State
Cajuns Comeback on McNeese to Pick-Up Win
4/6/2007 5:00:00 AM | Softball
The Ragin' Cajuns (6-0) fell behind 3-0 in the third inning and trailed 3-1 entering the top of the sixth inning.
Codi Runyan, named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after an 8-for-15 performance with three home runs and seven RBI, started the rally with a RBI single into left field and later scored the wining run on a Holly Tankersley sacrifice fly.
Tara Hamilton started off the sixth inning with a walk and was later replaced by pinch runner Courtney Trahan after Karli Hubbard was ruled to have been out of the batter's box when she ran into the ball on a bunt attempt.
Vallie Gaspard slapped a chopper up the middle that was fielded by McNeese pitcher Jana Jones. The ball bounced high enough to buy Gaspard time to fly down the basepath and reach first base before Jones even gloved the ball.
Runyan followed with a frozen rope into left field that plated Trahan with a run cutting the Cowgirls lead to 3-2.
The bases were then loaded after Lacey Bertucci hit a grounder to second base that Brooke Brodhead couldn't field initially. Brodhead claimed that Runyan interfered with her making the catch and didn't attempt a play at first base. Umpires ruled that Runyan did make an attempt to move out of the way and that there was no interference.
Jones then plunked Melissa Verde to force home Gaspard with the tying run evening the score at 3-all.
Tankersley then followed with a sacrifice fly into deep left center field allowing Runyan to tag from third with the winning run.
Tankersley, who started in the pitcher's circle for the Ragin' Cajuns, retired McNeese in order in the final two innings to preserve the comeback victory.
Tankersley got the victory and improved her season record to 3-0. She struck out eight Cowgirls and outside of four hits in the third inning held MSU in check.
Runyan led the Cajuns with two runs scored and two RBI.
UL was held hitless through the first three innings and McNeese took advantage of infield bounces to scratch out three runs and four hits in the bottom of the third inning.
A one-out walk issued to Courtney Lemke was followed by a Brodhead single through the right side and a bunt single from Liz Morvant on a sacrifice attempt to load the bases.
The Cowgirls then scored on the next three swings of the bat. An infield single from Jenny Clay scored the first run. Jones then produced a run on a fielder's choice grounder to second base which was followed by a Rachael Phillips single into shallow left field making it 3-0 in McNeese's favor.
Runyan cranked her third home run of the tournament on UL's second at bat of the fourth inning putting the Cajuns on the scoreboard.
Jones worked a perfect fifth inning before the lead disappeared in the sixth inning when the Ragin' Cajuns recorded three of their four hits in the contest.
With the win, Louisiana-Lafayette ended the Louisiana Classics with a 6-0 record and claimed the tournament championship.
Five UL players were named to the All-Tournament Team ? Lacey Bertucci, Brittany Cuevas, Meagan Godwin, Codi Runyan and Melissa Verde.
The Cajuns will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 14 as they travel to
