HOUSTON, Texas-Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team had arguably the worst inning of the season allowing six runs to the No. 8 national seed Houston Cougars and fell by a final score of 6-3. The win by Houston evened the best of three series at 1-1.
Trailing 6-2, the Cajuns made a charge in the bottom of the seventh. Katie Smith (Ruston, La.) led off the inning with a bunt single. Vallie Gaspard (Maurice, La.) followed with a single back to the pitcher and Smith reached third thanks to a fielding error. Vanessa Soto (San Diego, Calif.) then hit her NCAA-leading eighth sacrifice fly of the season to plate Smith. A single by Holly Tankersley (Kirbyville, Texas) moved Gaspard to third and an intentional walk to Melissa Verde (Beaumont, Texas) loaded the bases with only one out. Representing the winning run, Lana Bowers (Crosby, Texas) ripped a shot down the third base line that would have surely scored at least two more runs, but the Cougar third baseman snared the line drive and stepped on third to end the game.
The Cajuns collected nine hits in the game, but stranded eight base runners. Soto and Tankersley both had home runs in the game with Soto adding a sacrifice fly to lead the team with two RBI.
Starting pitcher Brittany Cuevas (Brazoria, Texas), who hadn't pitched since May 4, turned in an inspiring performance. She stymed the Cougars through the first five innings, allowing only two hits until running into trouble in the sixth. In the sixth, she allowed a single and two walks and left after retiring only one batter. The Cajuns bullpen couldn't hold the 2-1 lead, surrendering five more runs.
For the second day in a row, the Cajuns were the first to score and did so courtesy of a solo home run. This time, the solo shot came off of the bat of senior Soto. The home run was the eighth of the season and the first of the postseason.
The Cajuns threatened in the bottom of the second inning. Gabriele Bridges (Lafitte, La.) and Brooke Brodhead (Lafayette, La.) collected back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Karli Hubbard (Lafayette, La.) moved the runners with a sacrifice bunt. A fielder's choice eliminated the lead runner for out number two and a line drive back to the pitcher ended the inning with no runs scored.
In the fourth inning the Cajuns once again threatened. Bridges singled to lead off the inning and Brodhead walked to give the Cajuns a pair of base runners. Back-to-back-to-back groundouts ended the inning and the UL threat.
The Cajuns added a run in the fifth inning. Tankersley hit her team-leading 20th home run of the season to give the Cajuns a 2-0 edge.
Houston used the big sixth inning to take the lead. UH scored six runs on three hits, a pair of hit batters and an error. A fielding error by the Cajuns began the inning. With one out, Cuevas allowed back-to-back walks to load the bases. A single to centerfield plated the first runner of the game for UH and left the bases loaded.
Ashley Brignac (River Ridge, La.) entered the game in relief of Cuevas with the bases loaded. Her first offering cut the plate in two at the belt, but an illegal pitch was called driving in the tying run. Brignac loaded the bases again with a hit batter, but struck out the next batter she faced for the second out of the inning. The Cougars scored the go ahead run as Brignac hit a second batter in the inning. Leading 3-2, a single continued the inning and scored a pair of runners. Donna Bourgeois (Lafayette, La.) came into the game to pitch. She surrendered an RBI single before ending the inning with a strikeout. Cuevas (5-3) was charged with four runs allowed, but only one of those runs was earned.
The pivotal sixth inning saw 11 batters step to the plate for Houston, the most allowed by UL this year. The inning marked only the second time this season the Cajuns allowed a team to bat around. The Cajuns allowed a season-high nine batters to come to the plate against No. 12 Michigan on March 2 at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. Michigan also scored five runs in an inning against UL, a high until Houston's six-run sixth inning.
The Ragin' Cajuns and Cougars will square off in the final game of the series at roughly 3:00 p.m.
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