No. 11 Cajuns Sweep Houston on the Road

Contact: Cory Weigel
Box Score: Game 1
Box Score Game 2

LAFAYETTE, La. -- The Louisiana softball team grinded out two hard fought wins against a Houston squad that knocked them out of the Austin Regional last year. UL won the first contest 12-7 in nine innings and swept the double-header with a 3-2 victory in game two.

UL (19-0) used a grand slam from Megan Granger in the ninth inning in game one and a Sarah Draheim go ahead double in the seventh in game two to earn the victories.

Ashley Brignac (8-0) threw a complete game in the opener, hurling nine innings and allowed seven runs, while fanning nine Houston (10-11) hitters. The game marked the first extra-inning game of the year for Louisiana.

Jordan Wallace (8-0) pitched one of her best games of the year, tossing all seven innings, giving up just one earned run and fanning five batters.

Matte Haack was 4-for-7 on the day, including two homeruns and drove in four. Paige Cormier and Brianna Cherry were both 5-for-8 from the dish to lead the Cajuns. Christi Orgeron and Granger each drove in four runs as both connected for a grand slam in game one.

“I liked the grittiness, swagger and fight that the team displayed,” said co-head coach Michael Lotief. “I thought there were times when we loaded the bases and came up empty, where the kids could have gotten deflated but they kept competing until we finally got some breaks to go our way. I thought Jordan was lights out and it was a big time performance for a freshman to come into a hostile environment and stay focused. After an inning that didn't go here way she settled back in and finished the game strong.”

The UL fans made their presence known with their vocal support all evening.

"I think the fans that came over from Houston and the ones that traveled from Lafayette were loud and were fighting every pitch with us and It made for a good environment,” said Lotief. “Give Houston credit, they gave us a challenge making it out to be two great softball games.”

GAME ONE

Nerissa Myers reached on a bunt single in the top of the first and advanced into scoring position on a Orgeron groundout to second. It looked as though the Cajuns may strike first in the inning when Haack singled to left field, but Myers was thrown out on a close play at home plate to end the threat.
Houston's Reina Gaber drew a walk and stole second setting up Jaime Edwards with one out in the bottom of the first. Edwards homered on a 2-2 pitch to left center, giving the Cougars a 2-0 advantage.

In the top half of the second, the Cajuns loaded the bases with no outs as Cormier roped a liner off the left field wall, Cherry singled up the middle and Sarah Draheim was hit by a pitch. However, the Cajuns came up empty as Granger lined out to the pitcher, while Natalie Fernandez and Katie Smith grounded out as well to end threat.

Edwards singled with two outs in the bottom of the third before Haley Outon stepped into the box and hit her team-leading fifth homerun of the year to up the Cougar lead to 4-0.

UL threatened once again in the fourth as Cormier singled and Draheim reached on an error with one out, but Granger came up unlucky as she hit a hard ground ball to third, which turned into a 5-3 double-play to end the frame.

Houston wasn't going to hold Louisiana scoreless all game as Smith and Myers recorded singles in the fifth and Haack launched her fifth homerun of the year to dead center, cutting the Cougar lead to 4-3.

Murphy led off the sixth with a pinch hit single to left field. Fernandez reached base and Myers saw first as a result of a base on balls to bring Orgeron to the plate with no place to put the senior. Orgeron blasted her third grand slam of the year on a 3-1 offer to center field, giving UL their first lead of the contest at 7-4. Orgeron's long ball tied a team-high with seven homeruns and was her first in 12 games.

Houston answered the Cajuns spurt with Melissa Gregson opening the bottom half with a single and Jennifer Klinkert recorded a single to right two batters later to bring up pinch hitter, Sydney Gerbracht. Gerbracht hit a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall to even the score at 7-7.

Orgeron led off the ninth with a walk, while Haack and Cormier singled in their at bats to pack the bases for Cherry. The junior added a RBI single to shortstop to regain the lead 8-7 in favor of the Cajuns. Granger re-entered to hit for Murphy and made Lotief look like a genius as she lifted a 3-2 pitch to right field for a grand slam, making it a five run lead for UL at 12-7.

Briganc retired the Cougars in the ninth to earn her eighth win of the year. The senior threw all nine innings, allowing seven runs and struck out nine hitters.

GAME TWO

Both teams were held scoreless through the first inning, but the Cajuns manufactured the first run of the game as Cherry led off the second with a single up the middle. Cherry advanced to second and third on groundouts from Draheim and Granger, before crossing home plate on a two-out RBI hit from Fernandez for a 1-0 lead.

The squads were held at bay in the third as Louisiana put runners on first and second but Cherry grounded out to end their half. Wallace retired the Cougars in the third, punching out her fourth batter in the process.

Draheim singled, Granger walked and Fernandez beat out an infield hit to the catcher to load the bases with nobody out. However, for the second time of the day, UL came up empty with a grand opportunity as Draheim was thrown out at home on a groundout from Smith and Myers rolled into a double play two pitches later keeping the score at 1-0.

Haack launched her second homerun of the day and sixth of the year on a solo shot to left field upping Louisiana's lead to 2-0 in the fifth.

Houston would not go away, Holly Anderson the second batter of the inning, homered to center field cutting the Cajuns lead to one run. The Cougars took advantage of a UL error to get Klinkert aboard, who later scored from third on a throw down to second on an attempted base stealer to tie the contest.

With two outs in the top of the seventh, Cherry singled down the left field line to start a Ragin' Cajuns rally. Cherry advanced to second on a wild pitch and Draheim smoked a RBI double off the center field wall to give UL a 3-2 lead.

The Cajuns will begin conference play this weekend as they host North Texas in a double-header on Saturday beginning at 2:00 p.m. The two teams will play their final game of the three game stretch on Sunday at 12:00 p.m. in which fans will be able to go to the game for free as part of a fan appreciation day.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --

University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics

No. 11 Cajuns Sweep Houston on the Road

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