Timely Hits Elude UL versus South Alabama

MOBILE, Ala.-Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team dropped a pair of Sun Belt Conference games as they fell by a score of 3-1 to South Alabama in both games of a doubleheader on Friday night.

The Cajuns out-hit the Jaguars 13-to-9 on the night, but Louisiana was hampered by their inability to get a timely hit. UL left a total of 14 runners left on base including 11 base runners in scoring position.

Donna Bourgeois took both losses on the night. On the day, she pitched 9.0 innings, scattering eight hits. Bourgeois allowed six runs in the two games (four earned runs). She struck out 12 batters, including a 10-strikeout performance in game one and surrendered four walks.

Bourgeois was relieved in game two by Brittany Cuevas. The junior pitched 3.0 shutout innings allowing just one hit. Cuevas struck out eight of the 11 batters she faced on the night.

Offensively, the Cajuns were led by Kelly Cormier, Christi Orgeron, Karli Hubbard and Vallie Gaspard.

Cormier paced the Cajuns with three hits on the day, including a double. Orgeron had a pair of extra base hits on the day as she hit her first collegiate home run and added her eighth double of the season. Hubbard and Gaspard each had a pair of base hits, while Gaspard added a base on balls.

GAME 1 RECAP

The Ragin' Cajuns dropped the first game of the doubleheader by a final score of 3-1. The Cajuns scored a run in the second inning on a solo home run by Orgeron, but surrendered three runs to the hosts to fall by two runs.

Bourgeois took the loss for the Ragin' Cajuns. The sophomore fanned 10 batters in the game, scattering three hits. Bourgeois was plagued on the day by three walks and a hit batter. Two of the three batters she walked came around to score.

Offensively, Louisiana collected five hits on the afternoon including a home run.

Orgeron was the only UL player with multiple hits. She had her first collegiate home run and added a double. Orgeron scored the only run of the game for the Cajuns and had the only RBI.

The Cajuns took the lead in game number one in the second inning. Orgeron worked the count full before the redshirt freshman connected on her first collegiate home run. The solo shot to left center field gave the Cajuns a 1-0 edge.

South Alabama tied the game in the bottom of the first inning. After surrendering a leadoff walk, Bourgeois fanned the next two batters. The walk came back to hurt the Cajuns as Danielle Honore doubled off of the right center field scoring the base runner and tying the game at 1-1. Bourgeois recovered and fanned the next batter on three straight pitches.

Louisiana threatened in the top of the fifth inning. Cormier led off the inning with a bunt single. She stole second to give the Cajuns a runner in scoring position. A two-out single by Hubbard gave UL runners on the corners. Following a Hubbard steal, Melissa Verde loaded the bases as she was hit by a pitch. USA was able to get out of the inning without allowing a Louisiana run as a strikeout ended the inning, leaving the score tied at 1-1 after four and a half innings of play.

The Jaguars took the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Once again a walk came back to hurt he Cajuns, as USA used a one-out walk and a single to place two batters on base. A strikeout recorded the second out, but the strike three was low and allowed both base runners to advance on the wild pitch. The next South Alabama batter hit the ball to short and with runners moving on contact both USA batters came in to score on the fielder's choice giving the hosts a 3-1 advantage after five complete.

Neither team managed to generate a run in the final two innings, giving the South Alabama the two-run victory.

GAME 2 RECAP

Game two for the Ragin' Cajuns was a bit of déjà vu. Louisiana fell in the night cap by a score of 3-1, just like in game one.

Bourgeois once again took the loss for the Cajuns. She gave way to Cuevas in the fourth inning and Cuevas worked 3.0 scoreless innings fanning eight of the 11 batters she faced on the night. She fanned the first two batters she faced before allowing a hit and hitting a batter, but followed with three consecutive strikeouts. Cuevas retired the final seven batters in order, striking out six.

Cormier was the only Cajuns with multiple hits in the game as she finished game two 2-for-3 with a double UL's lone RBI.

South Alabama was the first to score in game two. In the first inning, the hosts led off the inning with back-to-back base hits. A pop up to short recorded the first out, but a single through the right side of the infield plated the first run of the game. With runners on the corners and one out, Lana Bowers quickly threw to third base and picked off the lead runner for the second out of the inning. Bourgeois fanned the next batter to get out of the inning, but the Cajuns found themselves on the wrong side of a 1-0 score after one inning.

Louisiana scored a run in the top of the first inning to tie the game at 1-1. With one out, Bowers singled to center field to get things started for the Ragin' Cajuns. Bowers moved to second base on a passed ball. Cormier doubled over the left fielder's head, scoring Bowers from second and knotting the score.

The Jaguars added a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the second inning. South Alabama led off the inning with a single and batter hit by a pitch. A fielding error by the Cajuns allowed the first run of the inning and left USA with a pair of runners on base. A second error in the inning plated the second run and gave South Alabama a 3-1 advantage after two innings of play.

The Cajuns threatened to chip away at the USA lead in the top of the fourth inning. Gabriele Bridges doubled to left center field to begin the inning. With a runner on second and no outs, the Ragin' Cajuns hit back to back fly balls to the shallow part of the outfield to prevent Bridges from advancing. Bridges stole third to move just 60-feet away from home, but a strikeout ended the inning and the UL threat.

For the second inning in a row, the Ragin' Cajuns had a runner in scoring position with less than two outs and failed to score a run. Gaspard led off the inning with an infield single. Gaspard moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Hubbard. With Gaspard on second and one out, the Cajuns' next two batters struck out and flied out to end the inning, leaving the runner stranded.

For the third consecutive inning, Louisiana got the leadoff batter on base. Codi Runyan started the inning off with a single through the left side. Courtney Trahan entered the game to run for Runyan. Following back-to-back strikeouts by UL, Cormier singled to short and advanced to second on a throwing error by South Alabama. Trahan managed to advance to third on the play, but neither runner would come around to score as a fly ball to straight away center field ended the inning and the Louisiana threat.

The Cajuns went down in order in the final inning taking their second 3-1 loss of the day.

The Ragin' Cajuns and Jaguars will conclude the three-game series on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. at Jaguar Field.

-www.RaginCajuns.com-

Timely Hits Elude UL versus South Alabama

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Timely Hits Elude UL versus South Alabama

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