BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team continued the Sun Belt Conference season with a doubleheader at Western Kentucky. The Cajuns dropped the first game of the twin bill, 5-2, before taking an 11-4 victory in game two.
Vanessa Soto (San Diego, Calif.) led the Cajuns on the day. The senior transfer finished the day 6-for-7 with a pair of doubles and four RBI. She had a slugging percentage of 1.143 and an on-base percentage of .857.
Holly Tankersley (Kirbyville, Texas) finished the day 3-for-6 (.500) with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored.
Ashley Brignac (River Ridge, La.) picked up the win for the Cajuns in game two. She tossed 3.1 innings allowing just two hits and a pair of walks while fanning seven.
The Cajuns struck first in game two. Gabriele Bridges (Lafitte, La.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the second inning for UL. Kelly Cormier (Abbeville, La.), who made her first collegiate start, singled to the shortstop. The pitcher picked up the ball and the throw was off the mark, allowing both Cormier and Bridges to move into scoring position. Tankersley delivered a two-out single to left centerfield to plate both runners and give the Cajuns a quick 2-0 lead.
The Hilltoppers cut the score in half on one swing of the bat. With one out in the bottom of the second inning, WKU's Rebecca Horesky delivered a solo home run to left field to trim the Louisiana lead to 2-1. Two batters later, Shelby Smith lined a home run over the left centerfield fence to tie the game at 2-2.
The Cajuns responded in the top of the fourth inning. Brignac, who started the day as the designated player, doubled to right center for her first collegiate hit. Shari Sigur pinch ran for Brignac and advanced to third on a Cormier sacrifice bunt. Vallie Gaspard (Maurice, La.) followed with an RBI double to plate Sigur. Tankersley was intentionally walked and a ground out moved the runners into scoring position. Brooke Brodhead (Lafayette, La.) worked the count full before drawing a free pass to load the bases. Soto followed with a double to left centerfield to plate a pair of runners to give the Cajuns a 5-2 lead.
Louisiana added three more runs in the top of the sixth inning. Gaspard led off the inning with a single to left field. Tankersley followed suite with a single up the middle. The runners advanced a base each on a wild pitch. Karli Hubbard (Lafayette, La.) collected an RBI single and advanced to second on the throw home to try to retire the runner. Soto was once again clutch delivering a two-RBI single to score Tankersley and Hubbard and give the Cajuns an 8-2 edge.
In the seventh inning, the Cajuns added three more runs. Back-to-back singles by Cormier and Gaspard set up Tankersley for a three-run home run. The homer was Tankersley's 11th of the season and 59th of her career. Fifty-nine home runs moved Tankersley into sole possession of second place for career home runs. Tankersley trails only Danyele Gomez (2003-06), who finished her career with 83.
GAME ONE RECAP
BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-The Ragin' Cajuns softball team dropped their first Sun Belt Conference game as they fell 5-2 in the first game of a doubleheader with Western Kentucky on Tuesday afternoon at the Western Kentucky Softball Park.
The Cajuns produced five hits in the game including three extra base hits, but were victims of a four run inning that cost them the game.
Vanessa Soto (San Diego, Calif.) was the only Cajun with multiple hits. She finished the game 2-for-3 with a double.
Brooke Brodhead (Lafayette, La.) and Lana Bowers (Crosby, Texas) both had doubles in the game, with Brodhead driving in both Cajuns runs.
Donna Bourgeois (Lafayette, La.) took the loss for the Cajuns. She tossed a complete game, surrendering five runs with just three earned runs. Bourgeois scattered six hits in 6.0 innings of work fanning half a dozen.
Western Kentucky broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning. A single up the middle ended the Cajuns' no-hitter effort. The Cajuns eliminated the lead runner as Bowers caught the runner stealing, but another single left a Hilltopper runner on base. The runner moved to second on a passed ball and came around to score on a single through the left side of the infield.
Trailing 1-0 in the fifth inning, the Cajuns responded with a pair of runs. Karli Hubbard (Lafayette, La.) led off the inning with a single to the shortstop. Vallie Gaspard (Maurice, La.) successfully moved Hubbard with a sacrifice bunt. Ashley Brignac (River Ridge, La.) pinch hit and drew a base on balls. Brodhead followed with a two-run RBI double to centerfield to take a 2-1 lead.
Western Kentucky regained the lead with a four-run fifth inning. With a full count on the batter, UL missed with a pitch inside and hit the leadoff batter. A fielding error by Louisiana left a pair of runners on base with no outs. A successful sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position and a double up the middle brought the tying and go-ahead runs across the plate. A home run to left field provided the final two runs of the inning and gave the home school a 5-2 edge, which would prove to be the difference in game one.
The Ragin' Cajuns and Hilltoppers will conclude their three-game Sun Belt Conference series with a single game on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch is slated for 1:00 p.m.
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