University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, May 25
Tempe, AZ
11:25 PM
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
0
at
8
Arizona State
Cajuns Fall to ASU in Super Regionals
5/26/2012 3:33:00 AM | Softball
Contact: Cory Weigel
Box Score
TEMPE, Arizona – Arizona State hit four home runs, accounting for seven of their eight runs, and Dallas Escobedo threw a five-hit shutout as the Sun Devils eliminated Louisiana from the NCAA Championships, 8-0 in six innings on Friday night at Farrington Stadium on the ASU Campus.
The loss ends the season for the Cajuns (53-6) while Arizona State (51-9), the defending national champion, becomes the second team to clinch a berth in next week's Women's College World Series.
“I'm extremely proud of my kids and my team,” UL co-head coach Michael Lotief said. “We just didn't have it today, but that didn't stop us from fighting the entire night to win the game. We battled for every pitch and even though things didn't go our way, it shows what a great group of student-athletes that we have in our program,”
One night after throwing a two-hitter to dominate the Sun Devils, Jordan Wallace had to battle the long ball all night. The UL freshman allowed eight runs on 11 hits in five and two-thirds innings, suffering her second defeat of the season against 27 wins.
“I don't think her spin on her pitches and approach was any different,” Lotief said. “As she matures she is going to have to develop some more pitches but I felt like she battled and we are proud of what she was able to accomplish this season.”
UL managed five hits in the contest – all singles – with three coming from leadoff hitter Katie Smith, while Natalie Fernandez and Nerissa Myers each had one hit.
ASU's Dallas Escobedo, who suffered the defeat in UL's 6-0 win on Thursday night, came back to throw the shutout. She struck out seven without a walk to improve to 23-6 on the year.
The Sun Devils took little time to get on the scoreboard as Alix Johnson and Haley Steele hit back-to-back homeruns with one out in the first to give ASU a 2-0 advantage. Johnson's homer, her 11th of the year, left the park in right center while Steele's shot, also her 11th of the season, was deposited to deep left center.
ASU added two more in the second when Elizabeth Caporuscio drove a 3-2 pitch with two outs over the wall in straight away centerfield, scoring Sam Parlich, who had opened the inning with a single.
The long ball hurt the Cajuns again in the fifth when Johnson belted her second homerun of the game, a three-run blast to right center that pushed the lead to 7-0.
The Cajuns had a great opportunity to rally in the sixth when Natalie Fernandez, Smith and Nerissa Myers led off with consecutive singles to load the bases. Escobedo got out of the jam without allowing a run when she induced Orgeron to foul out to third base, struck out looking Haack on an inside pitch with a full count and Brianna Cherry flew out to the wall in straight away center and Elizabeth Caporuscio made a great catch to end the inning.
The game came to an end in the bottom of the sixth when Steele stroked a single over the head of Paige Cormier and into right field, scoring Talor Haro, who had earlier singled.
The loss marked the final appearance in a Ragin' Cajuns uniform for seniors Ashley Brignac, Christi Orgeron, Erikka Murphy, Callie Philen, Katie Smith, Megan Granger and Paige Cormier. The group combined to lead UL to a 194-48 record over the last four years, making four NCAA appearances.
--Ragin' Cajuns--
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