Cajuns Survive Scare from Southern Miss

LAFAYETTE-Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns scored a season-low four runs in their first game of the afternoon, but relied on clutch hitting and solid pitching to escape Southern Miss, 4-1, in the 22nd Annual Louisiana Classics.

The Cajuns scattered eight hits on the day including a Gabriele Bridges (Lafitte, La.) two-run homer in the third inning.

Jessica Dupont (Alexandria, La.) and Holly Tankersley (Kirbyville, Texas) both had multiple hits on the afternoon. Dupont finished the day with a pair of singles, while Tankersley had a double and her first career triple.

UL relied on a solid pitching effort by freshman hurler Ashley Brignac (River Ridge, La.) to keep the Golden Eagle bats under control. Brignac worked 7.0, allowing just one run on three hits. She surrendered a career-high nine walks, but recorded eight strikeouts, including a K to end the game.

Once again in the tournament, the Cajuns were the first to score. Melissa Verde (Beaumont, Texas) led off the game with a four-pitch walk. Tankersley followed with a double to give the Cajuns a pair of runners in scoring position. Vanessa Soto (San Diego, Calif.) hit a fly ball to left field, deep enough to plate Verde from third. The sacrifice fly was Soto's first as a Cajun, but the 11th of her career.

The Cajuns were unable to plate any more runners in the first inning and led 1-0.

UL added a pair of runs in the second inning courtesy of a Bridges home run to centerfield. After a Tankersley walk to begin the inning, Bridges delivered her second home run of the season and second in as many games to give the Ragin' Cajuns a 3-0 edge.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Golden Eagles manufactured a run to cut the lead to 3-1. USM's Holly Milner worked the count full before drawing the free pass. A sacrifice bunt and a ground out moved her to third base. Megan Hill hit a single to left field just out of reach of a diving Katie Smith (Ruston, La.) for the RBI single.

The earned run was the first for Brignac this season and marked the first earned run allowed for the freshman since early in her sophomore year of high school when she surrendered an earned run against Vandebilt Catholic High School.

The Cajuns added an insurance run in the top of the sixth inning. Verde singled through the right side of the infield and came in to score on Tankersley's first career triple. The triple was the first for the senior in 522 official at-bats.

The Ragin' Cajuns will continue play in the Louisiana Classics Tournament with a 4:00 p.m. game with Mississippi Valley State.

-www.RaginCajuns.com-

Cajuns Survive Scare from Southern Miss

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