University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
Texas State
Cajuns Stay Alive...Twice
5/22/2011 1:30:00 AM | Softball
After dropping their opening game of the NCAA Austin Regional on Friday to Houston, the 25th ranked Ragin' Cajuns fought off two elimination games on Saturday to set up a rematch with the Cougars on Sunday.
The Cajuns (51-10) dropped Texas State, 11-2, in five innings in their first game of the day. In the very next game they knocked out the host and No.3 national seed Texas by a score of 5-3.
Ashley Brignac (32-6) picked up both wins, tossing 9.2 innings of shutout softball before giving up three in the bottom of the seventh inning in the final game.
On the day at the plate, the nation's highest scoring offense came to life as the Cajuns plated 16 runs and pounded out 19 hits, including five from Natalie Fernandez who seemed to set the table for the Cajuns all day. Christi Orgeron made history by driving in four runs to move her season total to 101. She became just the fourth player in NCAA history with over 100 RBI in a single-season.
GAME ONE - Louisiana 11, Texas State 2 (5 innings)
Paige Cormier had a career game, going 3-for-4 with six RBI as the Cajuns' bats came to life in an 11-2 win over Texas State in the first elimination game of the 2011 NCAA Austin Regional. The Cajuns pounded out 11 hits and drew seven walks in the run-rule effort.
Christina Hamilton got the start for the Cajuns, but after 1.1 innings left do to injury. Ashley Brignac (31-6) threw the remaining 3.2 innings in shutout style to pick up the win.
Cormier, Nerissa Myers, Natalie Fernandez and Katie Smith all had multiple hits. Cormier and Christi Orgeron posted multiple RBI.
For the second straight game, the Cajuns fell behind as Texas State (33-25) plated two runs in the bottom of the second inning.
After a leadoff walk and a pop out, the Bobcats loaded the bases with two consecutive singles. A third single, a chopper to Hamilton in the circle, scored the Texas State run. Hamilton was also injured on the play and had to leave the game.
After Brignac came in with one out and struck out the first batter she faced, another single with the bases still loaded scored the Bobcats' second run.
The Cajuns would get both runs back plus one in the next frame. Myers got things started with a leadoff single and moved to second on a walk to USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Finalist Orgeron.
After a fly out, Sarah Draheim delivered an RBI double off the McCombs Field wall to plate Myers and move Orgeron to third. Cormier then followed with a two-RBI single up the middle to plate both Orgeron and Draheim and give UL a 3-2 lead. Cormier's single chased Texas State starter Anne Marie Taylor (17-7) for Crystal Alaniz.
The Cajuns would break things open with six runs in the fourth inning. The speedsters got things started as Fernandez walked and was followed by Smith and Myers who each reached on bunt singles to load the bases. With the sacks full, Orgeron singled up the middle to plate the first run and move her season RBI total to 98.
Gabriele Bridges would plate the second run on a bases loaded sacrifice fly, and after Draheim walked to reload the bases, Cormier cleared them with a double down the left field line to give UL an 8-2 lead. With two down, Fernandez would single up the middle to plate the final run of the inning in Cormier.
After the dust settled on the Cajuns' half of the fourth inning, UL had plated six runs on five hits and sent 10 batters to the plate.
The Cajuns would plate their final two runs in the fifth inning thanks to two singles, a Bobcat error and one walk. Orgeron would pick up her 99th RBI of the season while Cormier would tack on her sixth of the game to give the Cajuns the 11-2 lead.
GAME TWO - Louisiana 5, Texas 3
After dropping the Bobcats, the Cajuns turned around and took out the No.3 national seed Texas Longhorns in the following game by a final score of 5-0.
Brignac (32-6) went the distance for the Cajuns to pick up the win. Brignac threw six shutout innings before giving up three run in the seventh. She allowed six hits on the evening with four coming in the seventh.
At the plate, the Cajuns tagged Texas (46-10) with eight hits, including three from both Orgeron and Fernandez.
For the first time in the Regional, the Cajuns would get on the board first as they would plate three runs in the top of the third. Fernandez and Smith once again got things started by reaching on singles. After Myers grounded out and moved both into scoring position, Orgeron delivered an RBI single to plate Fernandez and bring her RBI total to 100.
The junior become just the fourth player in NCAA history with 100 RBI in a single season and the first since 1998.
After a walk to Bridges loaded the bases, a walk to Draheim plated the Cajuns second run. Cormier then delivered a sacrifice fly to plate the Cajuns third run. Another walk chased the Longhorns starter, Rachel Fox (18-2), after 2.2 innings and three earned runs as she earned just her second loss of the season.
The Cajuns would tag Texas ace Blaire Luna for two more runs in the fourth, with Fernandez and Smith setting the table yet again. Fernandez led off with a single, her fourth of the day and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Smith. She would move to third on a ball-four wild pitch to Myers.
With speed on the corners, Orgeron delivered yet another RBI to plate Fernandez. Bridges would then single up the middle to plate Myers to give the Cajuns a 5-0 lead.
The Longhorns made a comeback effort in the seventh. After a hit by pitch and a wild pitch put a runner in scoring position, a Lexy Bennett single made the score 5-1. After a strikeout, Taylor Hoagland hit a home run over the left field fence to pull Texas within two at 5-3.
Brignac then forced a fly out, and after two, two-out singles put runners on the corners, a pop up to Cormier ended it.
The Cajuns will now take on Houston at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. If the Cajuns take that game, the two sides will play another 30 minutes after with a berth in an NCAA Super Regional on the line.
-- Ragin' Cajuns --
