FULLERTON, Calif.-No. 16 Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team dropped their second game of the 2008 Judi Garman Classic as they fell to No. 7 Arizona, 2-0.
The loss marked the second top-10 opponent the Cajuns fell to in as many days. UL dropped a 3-1 decision to No. 1 Arizona State on Friday afternoon at the Classic.
Brittany Cuevas (Brazoria, Texas) took the hard luck loss for the Cajuns. Cuevas fell to 3-2 on the season with her only two losses of the season coming to teams in the top-10. She surrendered a pair of runs on just five hits. Cuevas was hurt by a second inning solo home run and a bases loaded walk. She fanned six batters while only issuing three free passes.
Freshman Donna Bourgeois (Lafayette, La.) entered the game in the sixth inning. She allowed just two hits while striking out three.
Offensively, UL could get nothing going. The Cajuns collected just one hit and just five batters reached base in the game. Louisiana was the victim of 16 strikeouts on the day.
Cajuns catcher Lana Bowers (Crosby, Texas) was the only UL batter to collect a hit with a single in the first inning.
Jessica Dupont (Alexandria, La.), Karli Hubbard (Lafayette, La.) and Holly Tankersley (Kirbyville, Texas) all walked in the game and Vallie Gaspard (Maurice, La.) was the only other Cajuns player to reach base as she reached on a fielder's choice.
The Cajuns missed a prime opportunity in the first inning. Tankersley drew a one-out walk for the first base runner of the day for UL. Bowers delivered a two-out single to move Tankersley into scoring position, but with two runners on and two outs, the Cajuns failed to plate a runner.
Arizona was the first team to scratch the scoreboard as Laine Roth connected on a pitch and put it over the left field fence, just out of reach of Katie Smith (Ruston, La.) in the top of the second inning.
The Cajuns surrendered a second run in the top of the fifth inning. Arizona loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a walk. The Wildcats were helped by a bases loaded walk to increase their lead to 2-0.
Louisiana saw 11 straight batters retired before Hubbard drew a free pass with one out in the bottom of the fifth. The Cajuns were unable to move the runner as a fielder's choice and a strikeout ended the inning.
The Cajuns tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh inning. Dupont walked to give the Cajuns a base runner, but UL left the runner stranded as the Wildcats shut the door on any chance of a Cajuns' comeback.
The Ragin' Cajuns will conclude play in the 2008 Judi Garman Classic with a 3:30 p.m. (Central Time) game against No. 6 Michigan.
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