Cajuns Use Extra Innings to Sweep North Texas, Stay Perfect

Contact: Cory Weigel

Box Score: Game 1
Box Score: Game 2

LAFAYETTE,La. -- The Ragin' Cajuns softball team used a total of 19 innings of play in two games to keep their perfect season alive and begin conference play on the right track.

UL (21-0, 2-0) came from behind in both contests as they topped North Texas (8-12, 0-2), 7-6 in 10 innings in game one and 5-4 in nine innings in game two.

The Cajuns trailed by as many as four runs in the first game of the doubleheader and were facing an uphill battle, down two runs in their final at bat in the finale, before squeaking out two tough wins to open Sun Belt play.

“Give our kids credit for fighting and figuring out a way to get it done,” said co-head coach Michael Lotief. “We are not a perfect team by any means, we have flaws, but we showed a lot of guts today.”

Jordan Wallace (9-0) earned the win in game one after relieving Shelbee Rodgers in the fifth inning of a tied, 6-6 ballgame. The freshman threw five and a third innings, allowing four hits and struck out three.

Rodgers took the circle and hurled two and two thirds innings, surrendering one run on two hits after Ashley Brignac started the game and went just two frames.

Christi Orgeron was 2-for-3 with a three-run blast and Sarah Draheim hit the second homerun in the opener, going 1-for-4.

Brignac (9-0) went the distance in the second game tossing all nine innings, allowing two earned runs and whiffing four.

Nerissa Myers was 2-for-4 in the game, driving in two Cajuns. Paige Cormier finished 1-for-4 with two RBI to her credit.

GAME ONE

The Mean Green tallied three runs in the first as they loaded the bases against Brignac with nobody out. Maddelyn Fraley plated the first North Texas run with an RBI single to center to bring up Co-SBC Player of the Week, Caitlin Grmes. Grimes gained her team leading 17^th RBI of the year, on a walk, giving UNT a 2-0 lead.

Brignac recorded her first outs of the inning by inducing Ashley McCarroll to ground into a double play, but the visitors had their third run of the frame cross the plate on the play as the Cajuns fell into a 3-0 hole.

Katie Smith and Myers reached to lead off the bottom half of the first for UL. Matte Haack stepped to the plate with one away and lined a single to right field, scoring Smith and advancing Myers to third. Cormier scored Myers on a sacrifice fly to right field, cutting the Mean Green lead to 3-2.

With a runner aboard and two outs in the top of the second, North Texas' Brooke Foster, hit her second long ball of the year on an 0-1 pitch over the right field wall to up the UNT lead back to three runs at 5-2.

Rodgers came into relieve Brignac in the third and retired the side in order.

The Ragin' Cajuns filled the bags in the bottom of the third with one away, but could not anchor a run across as Cormier and Brianna Cherry lined out to end the threat.

North Texas added their sixth run of the game in the fourth on a fielder's choice groundout from Lisa Johnson to extend their lead to 6-2.

Louisiana put together a huge bottom half of the inning as Draheim ledoff by launching her second homerun of the year to left field. Natalie Fernandez and Myers reached base, bringing up the tying run, Orgeron, with two outs. The senior evened the score at six as she blasted a mammoth three-run bomb to left field for her team leading eighth homerun of the season.

Rodgers retired the first two hitters in the fifth before walking the next three to load the bases. Wallace entered the game for Rodgers and induced Jackie Miller into a groundout to first to end the frame.

With the score still knotted at six in the bottom of the seventh, Draheim stepped into the box looking for her second straight game with the winning RBI. The junior was robbed on a diving catch by McCarroll in right center, which would have scored Cormier from second, sending the game into extra innings.

Cherry returned the favor in the eighth as the Mean Green had runners aboard on first and second with McCarroll at the dish. McCarroll lined a deep ball to center as Cherry tracked it down and made an over-the-shoulder grab to keep the score even.

Wallace got herself into a jam in the ninth by allowing a leadoff single and made a throwing error to first on a sacrifice bunt to put runners on the corners with no outs. The freshman got the next two North Texas hitters to ground out and fanned Foster to prevent any runs from crossing the plate.

Draheim drew a four pitch walk to begin the 10^th and UL packed the bases with a Fernandez single and a Smith walk to bring Myers to the plate with one out. The shortstop hit a fly ball to right to score Draheim from third for the game winning sacrifice fly.

GAME TWO

Brignac started the second game for the Cajuns and was able to wiggle out of the first inning, allowing just one run. North Texas loaded the bases with no outs, but the senior retired the next three batters on groundouts to end to prevent any further damage.

Louisiana threatened in the bottom of the first as Haack doubled to right center advancing Orgeron, who singled, to third with two outs. The Cajuns came up empty as the next batter, Cormier, flew out to left.

The senior redeemed herself in the third as she came to the dish with two outs and the bases loaded. Cormier doubled to right center on a 3-1 pitch to give UL a 2-1 lead through three innings of play.

The teams were held scoreless for the next two frames until the Mean Green clawed a run across in the top of the sixth on a RBI single by McCarroll to even the score at 2.

North Texas had runners on first and third with two outs in the seventh when Johnson knocked her fourth hit of the day, a double to center field, plating two UNT runners to give the visitors a 4-2 advantage.

UL found themselves trailing once again in their final at bat. Murphy began the inning with a pinch hit walk, Fernandez followed her with a bunt single and Smith reached on a base on balls to fill the bases with none out. Myers came through with another clutch hit as she tagged a 2-1 pitch to the right field wall, scoring Murphy and Fernandez to tie the game.

Orgeron was walked to load the bases again, but the Cajuns failed to bring the winning run in as Haack fouled out, Cormier hit a shallow fly to center and Draheim struck out to send the game to extras.

North Texas had a shot to regain the lead in the ninth with their first two hitters reaching base. Brignac recorded the first out of the inning on a sacrifice bunt by Lesley Hirsch to move the runners up to second and third. The senior forced two groundouts later in the frame to prevent the Mean Green from scoring as the game headed to the bottom of the ninth tied at 4.

Myers smoked a line drive back up the middle to begin the bottom half and Orgeron walked to bring Haack to the plate with Myers in scoring position and no outs. The junior chopped a hard grounder, in which the third baseman booted it, allowing Myers to score from second to end the ballgame.

UL and North Texas will play the third and final game of the series on Sunday starting at noon. The game will be free to all fans and will be a first come first serve seating basis.

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Cajuns Use Extra Innings to Sweep North Texas, Stay Perfect

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