University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Cajuns Open SBC Play at North Texas
3/11/2011 2:43:00 PM | Softball
For the third consecutive weekend, the Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team will hit the road. This time, the Cajuns travel to Denton, Texas to open their Sun Belt schedule.
The 17th ranked Cajuns (18-2, 0-0) are set to match-up with North Texas (11-8, 0-0) at Lovelace Stadium for a three game series. The two teams will meet in a doubleheader at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday and a single game at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday.
The match-up will feature the reigning Sun Belt Player and Pitcher of the Weeks in UL's Christi Orgeron and North Texas' Ashley Kirk. Orgeron enters the weekend with a 20 game hitting streak while Kirk posted a 3-0 last weekend for the Mean Green with a 0.00 ERA.
Live stats for all three games can be viewed via RaginCajuns.com by CLICKING HERE.
Fans can view a FREE webcast of both of Saturday's games on RaginCajuns.com by CLICKING HERE.
To hear radio broadcasts of all three games on KNTU.com, CLICK HERE.
Game Day Storylines
- The Cajuns will open their 11th year of regular season Sun Belt play with the trip to Denton, Texas. UL is seeking its 10th Sun Belt Regular Season Championship.
- The Cajuns are 31-2 against North Texas, including a perfect 23-0 in regular season Sun Belt games. UL is 14-0 in Denton and has won the last 10 games against the Mean Green.
- Junior outfielder Christi Orgeron enters the series with a 20 game hitting streak, giving her a hit in every UL game this season. She has posted an RBI in 17 of those 20 and leads the team with 38 total.
- The Cajuns offense as a whole is hitting .382 this season, the best mark in the Sun Belt, with 201 runs which also paces the league. UL is averaging 10.05 runs per game.
- The UL pitching staff enters the weekend with a 0.64 team ERA. In comparison, no other team in the Sun Belt is under 2.00. The Cajuns have allowed just 19 runs in 2011, meaning opponents average less than a run a game.
Scouting the Competition
North Texas
- The Mean Green enter this weekend's series at 11-8 after dropping both games of a doubleheader to Missouri State on Wednesday. Prior to the pair of losses, North Texas had won nine of 11, with the two losses coming to Big XII opponents in Nebraska and No.10 Oklahoma. The Mean Green have played all of those last 11 games at home at Lovelace Stadium.
- Reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week Ashley Kirk had a tough outing in her start against Missouri State, going 4.2 innings, giving up eight runs and walking seven. Last weekend, the redshirt freshman went 3-0 while posting a 0.00 ERA. She set a North Texas school record with 14 K's in the Mean Green's win over Wichita State.
- Brittany Simmons leads North Texas in appearances with 12 and starts with 11. She has posted a 5-5 record with a 2.24 ERA and 29 K's.
- At the plate, sophomore shortstop Lesley Hirsch leads the Mean Green with a .383 batting average. Brooks Foster (.313) and Monica Hirsch (.304) are the only other starters hitting over .300.
- 2010 All-Sun Belt outfielder Mariza Martinez has struggled thus far in 2011, as she is hitting just .250 with seven runs scored and four RBI.
- As a team the Mean Green are hitting .292 while their opponents are hitting at a .260 clip. North Texas enters the weekend with a 2.73 team ERA.
- The Cajuns will mark the fourth ranked opponent of the season for North Texas, who is 0-3 in the previous contests.
- UL leads the all-time series over North Texas, 31-2, including wins in the last 10 match-ups. The Cajuns are 23-0 all-time against the Mean Green in regular season Sun Belt games and 14-0 in Denton.
Last Time Out
Citrus Classic (4-1)
- The Cajuns traveled to the ESPN Wide World of Sports for the Citrus Classic where they went 4-1 including a 1-0 win over No.3/1 Alabama. The Cajuns lone loss came against No.13/13 Oregon, 5-2. The Ducks scored four runs in the seventh inning to defeat UL. The Cajuns also defeated Virginia, Temple and Long Island on the weekend.
- Game 1: UL used a nine run second inning to run rule the Virginia Cavaliers in their first game, 9-1. Megan Granger had the best offensive game of her career as she went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple and three RBI. She also scored two runs.
- Game 2: The Cajuns followed that performance up with a 1-0 victory over No.3/1 Alabama. Ashley Brignac got the complete game shutout while Christi Orgeron's solo home run in the sixth inning was the difference.
- Game 3: In their first game on Saturday, Brignac held the Oregon Ducks in check for six innings, with the Cajuns carrying a 2-1 lead into the seventh inning. However, Oregon used a four run, top of the seventh inning to drop the Cajuns 5-2.
- Game 4: UL rebounded with a 18-3 thumping of Temple in which Orgeron hit two home runs, Gabriele Bridges hit a grand slam and Granger hit her first career home run.
- Game 5: The Cajuns closed out the tournament with a 4-0 win over Long Island. Christina Hamilton went the distance and got the shutout, while Bridges went 3-for-3 at the plate and Orgeron hit a two-run homer.
- On the weekend, Orgeron extended her team best hitting streak to 20 games thanks to a hit in all five contests. She hit .500 (8-for-16) with four home runs and nine RBI in the tournament.
- Bridges broke out of her mini-slump as she hit .538 (7-for-13) on the weekend with three doubles and a grand slam.
- On the mound, Ashley Brignac and Christina Hamilton got all five starts on the weekend, with Brignac going 1-1, including the shutout win over Alabama, and Hamilton going 3-0, including a complete game shutout against Long Island.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
