University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Close Season Against La.-Monroe
5/7/2010 2:24:00 PM | Softball
Louisiana vs. La.-Monroe
When: May 8 - 2 p.m. & 4 p.m.; May 9 - 12 p.m. CT
Where: Lamson Park
Radio: KPEL ESPN Radio 1420 AM - Steve Peloquin (play-by-play)
Live Stats: www.ragincajuns.com
- Louisiana will have a chance to clinch the 2010 Sun Belt Regular Season Championship as the Cajuns play the final three games of the 2010 season this weekend at home against Louisiana-Monroe. The Cajuns are 1.5 games ahead of second place FIU.
- The Cajuns will honor seven seniors this weekend. Lana Bowers, Kelly Cormier, Brittany Cuevas, Jessica Dupont, Vallie Gaspard, Courtney Trahan, and Melissa Verde will be playing thier last games in Lafayette this weekend.
- The Cajuns are 22-6 against the Warhawks during the Lotief era. UL is 6-2 against ULM over the past two seasons. Last year, UL lost to the Warhawks in the first round of the SBC Tournament, 1-0, before facing off again in tournament and claiming a 9-1 victory.
- Louisiana is 17-1 at home this season and undefeated with a 9-0 record against Sun Belt opponents.
- In the friendly confines of Lamson Park, UL is batting .320 as a team while opponents are hitting at a meager .168 clip.
- The Cajuns have outscored the opposition 111-19 in 18 home game this season, posting 11 shutouts.
Scouting the Opposition
Louisiana-Monroe enters the regular-season finale with a record 21-22 and a 8-12 mark in the Sun Belt.
As a team, ULM is batting .262 and allowing opponents to bat a .267. Brianna Love leads the Warhawks with a .387 batting average. She has a team-high 46 hits along with eight doubles, nine homers and 23 RBI.
In the pitcher's circle, Louisiana-Monroe uses a rotation of three pitchers. Combined, the Warhawks ERA sits at 2.89.
Tiffany Mills has seen the most action, pitching 113.1 innings to a 7-8 record and a 3.27 ERA. Kandace Causey sports an identical record and has a team-best 104 strikeouts in 98.0 innings pitched.
Last Meeting against Louisiana-Monroe (May 8, 2009)
After falling in the first game of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament to ULM, Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team eliminated the Warhawks with a six-inning 9-1 run-rule victory.
The Ragin' Cajuns pounded out 12 hits en route to nine runs to secure the mercy-rule win. Louisiana boasted four extra base hits in the game, including three doubles and a triple.
Offensively, four Cajuns players had multiple hits led by Vallie Gaspard who finished the game 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI. Karli Hubbard, Christi Orgeron and Codi Runyan each collected two hits apiece. Runyan finished the game 2-for-4 with a team-best four RBI.
Brittany Cuevas was solid in the circle as she collected her seventh victory of the season. Cuevas tossed the complete game allowing just one run on five hits. She tied a career high with 12 strikeouts, while surrendering only two walks.
Last Time Out... vs. North Texas (May 1-2)
Louisiana's Ragin Cajuns softball team took full advantage of five North Texas errors to cruise to a 9-0, run-rule victory and a series sweep on Sunday afternoon at Lamson Park. UL's bats also played an effective role, scattering eight hits on the afternoon but only two of the Cajuns' nine runs were earned.
Six Cajuns accounted for UL's eight hits. Gaspard let the way with three hits and one RBI.
Donna Bourgeois grabbed the shutout win to improve to 19-9. She allowed just three hits and struck out five without allowing a walk.
On Saturday's doubleheader, the arms of Brittany Cuevas and Donna Bourgeois, led the Cajuns to two wins over North Texas. The Cajuns shutout the Mean Green to open the day, 2-0, before rallying from an early deficit to grab a 2-1 victory in game two.
In game one, The Cajuns won 2-0, after doing all their damage in the bottom of the first inning and on a superb pitching effort from Cuevas.
Cuevas picked up the win after striking out nine, allowing two hits and walking two. The senior hurler is now 17-6 on the season after her seventh shutout of the season.
Cuevas kept things rolling in the pitcher's circle to start game two. But the Mean Green struck first with a lead-off, solo home run by Mariz Martinez
After giving up the early run, Cuevas proceeded to retire the next eight batters before a North Texas single in the top of the third.
Cuevas was replaced by Donna Bourgeois in the top of the fifth with two outs and one runner at first. For the day, Cuevas pitched 11.2 innings with 14 strikeouts and two walks.
UL finally grabbed the lead in the second game of the afternoon in the fifth inning. Orgeron reached second after a fielder's choice and error on the Mean Green. Bridges then hit a two-out single through the left side with Orgeron scoring the go-ahead run.
Super Seniors
The Cajuns will celebrate the careers of seven seniors this weekend as they play their final games at Lamson Park.
The seven seniors are Lana Bowers, Kelly Cormier, Brittany Cuevas, Jessica Dupont, Vallie Gaspard, Courtney Trahan and Melissa Verde.
Home Sweet Home
The Cajuns are 17-1 at home this season, including a 9-0 mark in Sun Belt play.
For the season, UL is batting .320 with 111 runs scored. Opponents are struggling though, scoring just 19 runs and are having a tough time in the batter's box with a .168 average.
In the pitcher's circle, the Cajuns have also been dominant. UL has a combined ERA of 1.03 en route to 11 shutouts in just 18 games.
Out in Front
The Cajuns are currently 31-4 when UL is the first team to score.
When the opposition scores first, UL doesn't fair well. The Cajuns are 5-11 when giving up the first run.
Runnin' and Stealin'
Sophomore Erikka Murphy has been a scoring threat to the opposition this season.
She leads the Sun Belt with 46 runs scored and has a league's beast 31 stolen bases in 32 attempts.
Behind the Mask
Senior pitcher Brittany Cuevas put together a senior season to remember.
She currently has a 17-6 record, including six straight wins in her last seven starts. In her six-game win streak, she posted three shutouts bringing her season total to seven.
Cuevas leads the Cajuns with 168 strikeouts.
Building Bridges
Junior first baseman Gabriele Bridges has put together another stellar season this year.
The slugger is swinging at a .316 clip. Her 13 home runs and 41 RBI rank second on the team.
Career Outing
Junior pitcher Donna Bourgeois had a career showing in Tuesday's 4-2 win over FAU. In seven innings of work, she tied a career-high of 14 strikeouts, 12 of which caught the batters swinging.
It is the third time in her career she has reached the mark.
No. 1 Hits
Senior slapper Vallie Gaspard has been a serious threat at the plate over the last 18 games.
In all but one contest, she has recorded a hit and posted multiple hits in six of the games.
She leads the league with a .419 batting average and amongst the top five with 62 hits.
