Cajuns Gut Out Two Wins in First Day of Leadoff Classic

Box Score: UL vs. Mississippi State
Box Score: UL vs. Hofstra

Louisiana's softball team came away with two hard fought victories on Friday with wins over Mississippi State, 6-3 and Hofstra, 5-4.

Ashley Brignac (4-0) took the circle in game one against Mississippi State (7-2) and hurled a complete game, allowing two earned runs and struck out seven batters.

Freshman Jordan Wallace (4-0) also earned her fourth win of the year going all seven innings, while surrendering four runs and fanning six hitters against Hofstra (0-4).

Matte Haack continued her hat bat from last weekend's Mardi Gras Invitational, going 3-for-7 on the day with four runs batted in, including a double and a triple.

Junior catcher Sarah Draheim showed no signs of a slow start on the year finishing with a 3-for-7 performance.

UL (9-0) was held without a homerun for the first time all year, but outhit their opponents 17-11 on the afternoon.

GAME ONE

The game was scoreless through the first two full innings as Brignac struck three of her first seven batters without allowing a hit.

The senior ace got herself in a little bit of trouble in the top of the third as the Bulldogs threatened with back-to-back hits and a walk to load the bases with one out. Brignac fell behind in the count 2-0 to Mississippi State's top hitter, Brittany Bell, who lined a shot which caught by shortstop, Nerissa Myers, and doubled off Kaili Smith at second to end the half inning.

Katie Smith had a 3-for-4 game that started with a pinch hit infield single to short to leadoff the bottom half of the third. Erikka Murphy singled and Myers reached on a walk to load the bases with no outs. After a Christi Orgeron pop out to second, Paige Cormier singled to right on a 3-2 pitch to give the Cajuns a 1-0 lead. UL received a little help as Cherry reached on an error by second baseman, Heidi Shape, scoring Murphy and Myers. Haack produced an RBI groundout to score Cormier before Draheim doubled to right field to bring Cherry around, making the score 5-0 at the end of three.

MSU got a two out rally going in the top of the fourth as Erin Nesbit doubled to the right center gap, plating Shape, and later advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on an error, cutting the Ragin' Cajuns lead to 5-2.

Smith gave Louisiana an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, drawing a two out walk. With Murphy at the plate, the senior stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball, before scoring on an illegal pitch to give the Cajuns a 6-2 advantage heading into the final inning.

Brignac looked to be cruising to her fourth win of the season, retiring the first two batters of the frame for the Bulldogs. Mississippi State made things interesting as Smith homered on a 2-2 pitch to left field making the score 6-3. The next batter, Shelby Smith, drew a walk and Bell doubled to left center to bring up the tying run to the plate. Brignac beared down and induced MSU's Sam Lenahan into a groundout to end the contest.

GAME TWO

Louisiana got off to a hot start in game two as Myers walked and stole second to set up an RBI single to center by Orgeron to get the Cajuns on the board, 1-0. UL added to their first inning scoring as Haack stepped to the plate with Orgeron and Cherry aboard and plated them both on a two RBI double down the right field line. The on deck batter, Draheim stepped up and singled, which resulted in Haack scoring due to a throwing error to give the Ragin' Cajuns a 4-0 lead.

Wallace appeared to be unhittable to begin the game, fanning three of the first six outs, while allowing zero hits.

Orgeron reached on an error to start the top of the third. She advanced to second on a passed ball and moved over to third on a Cormier groundout with one out. Cherry struck out but was picked up by Haack who tripled off of the left field fence, giving Louisiana a 5-0 advantage.

It looked as though the Cajuns would run away with another easy victory until the Hofstra bats awoke. Becca Bigler made it a 5-2 ballgame with a two-run blast to left field in the bottom of the third.

The Pride manufactured another run in the bottom half of the fourth with a RBI groundout by Nicole Osovski, cutting the UL lead to 5-3.

Louisiana threatened in the top of the fifth as they loaded the bases for Murphy with two outs. Murphy was robbed of a hit as she smoked a line drive, which was snagged by third baseman Kristass Thorn to end the frame.

Both squads were held scoreless for the next two innings, until the game headed to the bottom of the seventh. Like Brignace in game one, Wallace retired the first two hitters before Tessa Ziemba homered to left center to slice the Cajuns lead to 5-4. The freshman showed some guts by sending pinch hitter Galati Ainbinder down swinging to end the game.

UL will take the field once again tomorrow as they will look to keep their undefeated season intact against Boston University at 1:00 p.m. and a top 25 showdown against No. 12 Michigan at 6:00 p.m.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

Cajuns Gut Out Two Wins in First Day of Leadoff Classic

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