Did Softball play today or not? Anyone know?
DaddyCajun
Printable View
Did Softball play today or not? Anyone know?
DaddyCajun
Softball Schedule ChangeQuote:
Originally Posted by DaddyCajun
Softball 04/14/2007
Due to inclement weather in Mobile, today's 1 pm softball game against South Alabama has been rescheduled for 7pm tonight. The series will conclude tomorrow with a 1pm doubleheader.
More:
http://www.ragincajuns.com/ViewArtic...&ATCLID=864448
I believe I heard that they are playing a single at 7pm tonight...then a double tomorrow!!Quote:
Originally Posted by DaddyCajun
Z.
Z, I heard(read) the same thing, but the game must not be being played and/or covered on the air 1420/105.1!!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeebart21
DaddyCajun
Big Daddy, just got this off of ragincajuns.comQuote:
Originally Posted by DaddyCajun
MOBILE, Ala.- Saturday night's single game scheduled for 7:00 between the visiting Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns and South Alabama, has been canceled due to weather.
The two teams will meet in a doubleheader beginning at noon on Sunday, and they will only play two of the three games scheduled for this weekend.
The three game series was scheduled to begin on Saturday at 1:00 P.M. with a doubleheader. Inclement weather in the Mobile area had forced officials to re-schedule a single game for Saturday evening at 7:00 and a doubleheader on Sunday at 1:00 P.M. With Saturday night's cancellation, Sunday's doubleheader was moved to a noon start time.
<! Chatman's RBI pushes Cajuns to opener win ->Quote:
<table bgcolor=#eaeaea> <td> <font color=#000000> <blockquote> <p align=justify>
UL's softball team desperately needed a win, and the Ragin' Cajuns could have used a sweep of Sun Belt Conference rival South Alabama Sunday to re-establish themselves in the league.
They had to settle for a split, and the 19th-ranked Cajuns were fortunate to get that.
UL squandered a 2-0 lead in the opener before finally prevailing in a 5-4 10-inning decision, but South Alabama rolled out its bats and got a two-hit pitching effort from Beth Pilgrim in taking a five-inning 8-0 victory in the nightcap.
The Cajuns (35-12, 8-6) had entered the weekend on a four-game losing streak and were tied with USA (28-16, 8-6) for third in the Sun Belt race. The split kept the two tied for third with three league weekends remaining, including the Cajuns' key home series against league-leading Troy this weekend at Lamson Park.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070416/SPORTS/704160324/1006" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com
<!--
The weekend series at USA's Jaguar Field in Mobile, Ala., was cut short when Saturday's action was washed out by rain, creating a doubleheader on Sunday.
The Cajuns snapped the loss streak thanks to a pair of runs in the top of the 10th inning, when Desi Chatman's RBI single plated pinch runner Shari Sigur and Codi Runyan's sacrifice fly allowed Chatman to score from third for what became the game-winner.
UL starter Brittany Cuevas (22-7) allowed one run in the bottom of the 10th on Kristen Hayes' two-out single that scored Kait Chernomaz, but Cuevas induced a game-ending popup from Taylor Rich to cap a 184-pitch performance.
Cuevas fanned 11 and scattered eight hits while allowing only two earned runs, and the Cajuns provided the freshman righthander with a 2-0 lead two batters into the opener. Karli Hubbard drew a leadoff walk from USA starter and loser Linden Jones (17-9), and Holly Tankersley took a 1-0 pitch halfway up the light pole in right center field for her team-leading 12th homer of the season.
Hayes' RBI single in the second cut the margin in half and USA tied it in the fifth on an RBI single from Sun Belt hitting leader Tara Donaldson. The game remained tied until the ninth when Tara Hamilton had a leadoff double and eventually scored on Vallie Gaspard's ground ball for a 3-2 UL lead.
However, two UL errors in the bottom of the ninth led to a Jaguar run without benefit of a hit to force a 10th inning.
USA also got an unearned run in the second inning of the nightcap, with Rich's RBI single providing a 1-0 lead, and the Jaguars got to Cajun starter Shari Sigur (2-1) for four runs in the fourth inning. Ashley Elmore's RBI single and a two-run Evelyn Pare single pushed the margin to 5-0, and Elmore ended the game one inning later with a two-run homer off reliever Tankersley.
Pilgrim (7-4) allowed only Melissa Verde's leadoff single in the first and Runyan's ground-ball single in the second and retired 10 of the last 12 batters she faced.
-->
</td> </table>
<! Cajuns fighting for survival ->Quote:
<table bgcolor=#eaeaea> <td> <font color=#000000> <blockquote> <center>3rd-place UL to face Troy in weekend series</center><p align=justify>UL's softball team is in a very different situation this weekend, one it hasn't gone through in all its years of existence.
The Ragin' Cajuns, winners of all seven Sun Belt Conference titles ever awarded, face a do-or-die situation Saturday and Sunday in their league series against Troy at Lamson Park.
The Cajuns are tied for third place in the league's regular-season standings at 8-6, chasing both the Trojans (13-5) and Middle Tennessee (11-6) in an effort to continue their string of never having finished lower than first in the final standings.
In essence, UL needs to sweep this weekend in order to pass up Troy and draw even with Middle Tennessee (open this weekend) heading into the final two weekends of conference play.
"I like the pressure," said Cajun coach Stefni Lotief. "I've always felt that even if you get punched in the stomach, you have to keep fighting. We've taken some punches, but we're still standing."
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070417/SPORTS/704170339/1006" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com
<!--
The Cajuns (35-12) split a doubleheader at South Alabama Sunday after rains washed out Saturday's first day, winning 5-4 in 10 innings before losing an 8-0 nightcap by run rule. The split left UL tied with the Jaguars for third place.
Sunday's opening-game win snapped a four-game loss streak, only the second the program has ever had since the inaugural 1981 season.
"It was starting to become a mental thing," said co-head coach Michael Lotief. "It had gotten to the point that we were expecting something bad to happen. When you start letting the negative creep in, it affects everything you do and the way you play the game. But we had some small victories Sunday."
Second baseman Tara Hamilton had one of those victories, with her ninth-inning double helping the Cajuns score a go-ahead run in the opener. Hamilton, a regular for two years, had struggled all year with an .085 average despite starting 41 of 45 games.
"That's the message that we want to get across," Michael Lotief said. "Tara's been battling all year and hasn't gotten anything going, and yesterday she comes up with a big double for us. The message is you don't let what happens one day affect what you do the next day."
The Cajuns' struggles have been both at the plate and in the pitching circle, with UL taking a team .269 batting average into Wednesday's non-conference home doubleheader against Houston. As a team, UL holds a 2.24 team ERA, but over the last three weeks that mark is almost doubled.
That might have been expected, since the Cajuns began the season with two freshman pitchers and one upperclassman, Holly Tankersley, who hadn't pitched in two seasons.
"Our pitchers have had to gain experience during the season, and that's hard," Michael Lotief said. "It's hard for them, and it's hard for our fans to watch."
"We just have to keep working," Stefni Lotief said, "and bring what we work on in practice and out of the bullpen onto the field with us."
-->
</td> </table>
<! ->Quote:
<table bgcolor=#eaeaea> <td> <font color=#000000> <blockquote> <p align=justify>
For long-time Cajun softball fans, a familiar face will be in the first-base dugout today when the University of Houston invades UL's Lamson Park for a 4 p.m. softball doubleheader.
She'll be wearing red and white. But it's Cougar red and white.
In fact, Kyla Hall Holas is Cougar through and through by now, as the only coach in the history of Houston's softball program. She's focused on keeping her squad near the top of Conference USA and chasing the program's second NCAA Tournament, goals that are on track with a 32-12 record and a 13-2 C-USA mark.
"Our whole philosophy is to build a program that wins our conference, goes to the Regionals every year, gets to the College World Series and just sets a standard of excellence," she said. "We've improved every year."
The fact that she was a three-time All-America pitcher for the Cajuns from 1991-94 - twice a first-team pick - and one of UL's all-time greats doesn't come into play today. For the Cougars, wins over a historically-strong UL program would help reach those postseason goals.
But the former Kyla Hall won't have any problem finding the park and recognizing some familiar surroundings, most notably the wall in right field where the Cajuns' College World Series appearances are listed.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070418/SPORTS/704180306/1006/SPORTS" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com
<!--
Holas was the key to the Cajuns' groundbreaking World Series appearance in 1993, when she finished off a 29-3 junior season with two Series wins including a 1-0 win over eventual national champion Arizona. She lost a heartbreaking 1-0 pitchers' duel with UCLA's legendary Lisa Fernandez in a game that determined one national title game berth.
The next year, her numbers were even better. She set school records with a 31-3 record, 21 shutouts, eight no-hitters and five perfect games.
Her 104-20 career record and .839 winning percentage ranks her 14th in NCAA history, and her 0.50 career ERA is still a school record.
Holas coached at Northern Illinois and Florida before coming home, taking on the challenge of a new program not far from her Pasadena, Texas, hometown. Her team won 22 games in its first season in 2001 and reached the NCAA Tournament in 2004.
"I feel like we've taken all the bumps we needed to take," Holas said. "I feel like we're right on target, right on track with our goals."
The host Cajuns have different goals today. UL will be trying to recover from five losses in its last six games, snapping a four-game loss streak in a Sunday doubleheader split at South Alabama. UL dropped to 24th in this week's ESPN.com/USA Softball poll, with Houston third among the teams receiving votes in that poll.
UL will also be trying to build momentum for a key Sun Belt Conference series this weekend, with the Cajuns hosting league-leading Troy Saturday and Sunday. If the Cajuns are going to build momentum, they'll have to do it against Conference USA Pitcher of the Week Angel Shamblin (21-5, 1.07), the first 20-game winner in UH history and the Cougars' all-time career win leader.
Houston (32-12) at UL (35-12)
4 p.m. today (DH), Lamson Park
RADIO: KPEL-AM (1420) with Steve Peloquin, air time 3:30 p.m. TV: None.
TICKETS: Available at Lamson Park gate at 2:30 p.m.
SERIES: UL leads 4-0 with two wins in UH's inaugural 2001 season and two wins in 2002 in UL's Louisiana Classics tournament.
LAST TIME OUT: UL split a Sunday Sun Belt Conference doubleheader at South Alabama, winning 5-4 in 10 innings and losing 8-0 in five innings. UH took two of three games in a Conference USA series at Texas-El Paso, winning 5-3 and 9-1 around a 171 loss.
PROBABLE PITCHERS: UL, Brittany Cuevas (Fr., RH, 22-7, 2.05), Holly Tankersley (Jr., RH, 11-4, 2.52) and Shari Sigur (Fr., RH, 2-1, 2.96). UH, Angel Shamblin (Jr., RH, 21-5, 1.07) and Barbie Love (Jr., RH, 5-4, 1.27).
LEADING HITTERS: UL, DP Holly Tankersley (Jr., R-R, .369, 12 HR, 44 RBI), OF Karli Hubbard (So., L-R, .326, 9 RBI), SS Codi Runyan (Jr., R-R, .288, 10 HR, 40 RBI). UH, SS Jessica Valis (So., L-R, .373, 2 HR, 9 RBI), OF Katie Bush (So., L-R, .344, 6 RBI), C Elaina Nordstrom (So., R-R, .304, 7 HR, 27 RBI).
NEXT: UL hosts Troy, Saturday-Sunday, 1 p.m., Lamson Park.
-->
</td> </table>
Quote:
<table bgcolor=#eaeaea> <td> <font color=#000000> <blockquote> <p align=justify>
Louisiana junior and Kirbyville's Holly Tankersley was named a finalist for the 2007 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Award the Amateur Softball Association, the National Governing Body of Softball in the United States, announced last week.
This award, which is considered one of the most prestigious honors in women's collegiate softball, is designed to recognize outstanding athletic achievement by female collegiate softball players across the country and the Kirbyville native has done just that.
Tankersley, who has won the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week Award four times this season, leads the Cajuns in all major hitting categories leading the team with a .377 batting average and 11 home runs. She has 42 RBIs on 49 hits and has scored 35 runs on the year.
<center><p><a href="http://www.jaspernewsboy.com/news/2007/0418/Sports/041.html
" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
<!--
She also pitches for the Cajuns recording an 11-3 record on 15 appearances in the circle. The junior holds a 2.31 ERA with 78.2 innings pitched, allowing only 26 earned runs. She has 79 strikeouts this year and opponents have a .223 batting average against her.
The Top 25 list is comprised of players representing 17 colleges and six different NCAA Division I Conferences.
Among the list are 12 seniors, seven juniors, five sophomores and a red-shirt freshman.
Five of the finalists were among the Top 25 finalists in 2006 including Tennessee's Monica Abbott, Arizona's Caitlin Lowe and Virginia Tech's Angela Tincher who were also top 10 finalists last year.
-->
</td> </table>
<! -><center>Quote:
<table bgcolor=#eaeaea> <td> <font color=#000000> <blockquote> <p align=justify>
LOUISIANA La. - Louisiana’s 21st ranked Ragin’ Cajuns softball team answered a lot of questions on Wednesday at Lamson Park, as they swept the Houston Cougars in a doubleheader by the scores of 5-0 in game one and 14-0 in the nightcap, which ended in 4 ½ inning via the mercy rule. The Cajuns were able to put together pitching, hitting, and defense in the sweep as the improved to 37-12 overall, while Houston dropped to 32-14.
Cajun pitching gave up only three hits total in both games, the only hit in game two coming on an infield hit by Cougar shortstop Jessica Valis. Offensively UL exploded for 18 hits in the doubleheader, with six homeruns. Desi Chatman and Lacey Bertucci went deep in game one. In game two Codi Runyan and Melissa Verde each had two bombs to pace the Cajun offensive attack.
Ragin’ Cajun freshman pitcher, Brittany Cuevas was dominant in the circle in game one for Louisiana as she tossed a complete game two hit shutout. Cuevas retired 21 of the 23 hitters she faced as she struck out nine and did not issue a base on balls during the game, as she improved to 23-7 on the season. Houston pitcher Angel Shamblin also pitched a complete game for the Cougars, as she dropped to 21-6 overall.
After Cuevas retired the Cougars in order in the top half of the first inning, the Cajuns offense wasted little time as Runyan led off with a base on balls and with two outs, Chatman took the first offering from Houston starter Shamblin over the left field wall for a 2-0 UL lead. Chatman’s round tripper was her seventh of the season.
<center><p><a href="http://www.ragincajuns.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=15400&ATCLID=869732" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
RaginCajuns.com
<!--
UL added a run in the bottom of the second to take a 3-0 lead as Tara Hamilton led off the inning with a single to right field. Vallie Gaspard’s bunt single placed runners at first and second and Runyan’s RBI single scored Gaspard from second.
Louisiana increased their lead to 5-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning as Holly Tankersley walked with two outs and Bertucci followed with her 10th home run of the season, a line drive shot to left field.
The Cajuns had seven hits in game one. Shamblin, had the only two hits of the game for the Cougars, both singles to right field.
Again in game two, UL took an early lead on a home run in the bottom of the first inning. After Tankersley and Chatman both reached on base on balls, Verde stepped to the plate and delivered a shot over the right centerfield wall with two outs, giving the Cajuns a 3-0 lead at the end of the first inning.
Two Houston errors and four UL hits in the bottom of the second inning provided the Cajuns with six additional runs and a 9-0 lead. The big blow of the inning was Verde’s second three run homer of the game. Verde’s second homer of the game was her sixth of the season. Bertucci added an RBI single in the inning. Chatman and Lana Bowers both delivered doubles.
Louisiana added four more runs in the bottom of the third to increase their lead to 13-0. Runyan led off the inning with a solo home run, her 11th of the season. Bertucci, Verde, and Jessica Lemoine added singles in the four run third.
UL started the bottom of the fourth just as they did in the bottom of the third, with a solo home run from Runyan, her 12th of the season, tying her for the team lead with Tankersley. Verde added a single in the Cajun fourth, her fourth hit of the game, and Louisiana led 14-0 at the end of four.
Verde led the Cajuns in game two with a four for four game with six RBI to go along with her two home runs. Runyan and Bertucci each had two hits for the Cajuns in game two.
Tankersley, Shari Sigur, and Amanda Hill, combined to pitch game two for UL, with Tankersley taking the win to impove to 12-4 overall. Cougar starter Barbie Love was the losing pitcher and falls to 5-5.
Louisiana will next be in action this weekend as they host Troy in an important Sun Belt Conference series. The two teams face off in a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 1:00 PM and a Sunday afternoon single game, also beginning at 1:00.
-->
</td> </table>
<! Cajun softball embarrasses team 5-0, 14-0 -><center>Quote:
<table bgcolor=#eaeaea> <td> <font color=#000000> <blockquote> <p align=justify>
Nobody in the UL softball dugout would call it that, but the Ragin' Cajuns made a statement Wednesday.
The Cajuns, losers of five of their last six games and in danger of falling into the ranks of also-rans, turned in a shocking 5-0, 14-0 blitzing of Houston's Cougars Wednesday at Lam-son Park to bounce back from their recent struggles.
"We're back," said UL third baseman Melissa Verde, who had two home runs, six RBI and went 4-for-4 in the five-inning nightcap. "We didn't lose confidence ... we'd just had a bad spurt."
UL (37-12) dropped three games to Sun Belt Conference rival Florida International in its last home appearance, and split a twinbill at South Alabama last weekend. The Cajuns had fallen from their customary position at the top of the Sun Belt standings to a tie for third.
"This says something for our kids," said head coach Stefni Lotief. "Everyone on this team kept fighting."
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070419/SPORTS/704190335/1006" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com
<!--
The Wednesday blitz didn't come against just anybody. Houston entered the twinbill at 32-12 and leads Conference USA by a whopping 4 1/2-game margin. The Cougars, among the teams receiving votes in both the USA Today/NFCA and the ESPN.com/USA softball top 25 polls, had won eight of their last nine and 12 of their last 14.
But on Wednesday, four UL pitchers combined to allow Houston only three hits in the doubleheader. That's half as many home runs as the 21st (NFCA) and 24th (USA Softball) ranked Cajuns hit, with Codi Runyan joining Verde with two homers in the nightcap after Desi Chatman and Lacey Bertucci each had two-run homers in pacing the first-game victory.
Freshman pitcher Brittany Cuevas (23-7) had the other first-game heroics, tossing a two-hitter over seven innings and fanning nine in besting reigning C-USA Pitcher of the Week Angel Shamblin (21-6). In fact, Shamblin had UH's only two hits with a leadoff single in the third and a two-out single in the fifth, giving the Cougars their only baserunners.
"The way she pitched today was incredible," said co-head coach Michael Lotief. "You got a glimpse of what she can do."
Chatman's homer provided a 2-0 first-inning lead, and Runyan's RBI single in the second plated Vallie Gaspard for a three-run edge. Bertucci then lined a homer to left in the fifth after a walk to Holly Tankersley.
Verde then took over offensive heroics in the nightcap after UH starter Barbie Love (5-5) walked two of the first four batters she faced. Verde's opposite-field homer quickly made it 3-0, and she added another three-run shot to wrap up a six-run second inning - all unearned after Houston committed three infield errors in the inning.
That was more than enough for second-game starter Tankersley (12-4), who fanned five in three innings and allowed only an infield hit to Jessica Valis in the third inning.
--> </td> </table>
We made a commitment this year to broadcast 28 women's games this year, including the series this weekend vs. league leading Troy.
Unfortunately, we've suffered a tragedy in the Regent family.
I regret to inform you that Steve Peloquin's stepson Chris was killed in an automobile accident while serving in the US Army in Tennessee. Chris was 18 years old.
Naturally, Steve needs to be with his wife Melissa, who has lost her only son.
However, we have a commitment and we will honor it. Mr. Bitter has graciously volunteered to do game one of tomorrow's doubleheader. Scott Prather will do game two. Neither of them felt comfortable enough, given their limited knowledge of softball, to do both ends of the doubleheader.
Not the most ideal situation, but I know that, under the circumstances, all of you will understand.
In the meantime, please keep Steve and Melissa in your prayers as they suffer through a parent's worst nightmare.
Thanks.
Keep it up Holly we love you.
Thanks, Jay. Very unfortunate tragedy for Steve and his wife. My heart goes out to them.Quote:
Originally Posted by BirdofParadise
Kudos to Bitter and Prather for nuttin up and doing UL softball!! Might be interesting.
Z
Condolences to the Steve family.
Quote:
<table bgcolor=#eaeaea> <td> <font color=#000000> <blockquote> <p align=justify>
Sometimes, timing is everything, and UL's softball team could be the beneficiary of some good timing this weekend.
The Ragin' Cajuns, a struggling team over the last two weeks, had a stunning turnaround Wednesday in a doubleheader sweep of highly-regarded Houston.
Now, the 21st-ranked Cajuns look to continue that hot streak today and Sunday when they play perhaps their biggest Sun Belt Conference series ever. UL (37-12, 8-6) hosts league leader Troy (35-12, 13-5) in a weekend series at Lamson Park, playing a 1 p.m. doubleheader today and a 1 p.m. single game Sunday.
The visiting Trojans lead the Sun Belt by 1 1/2 games over Middle Tennessee, while the Cajuns are tied for third with South Alabama. The Cajuns need to take no worse than a series win to have a chance at their eighth straight league title, and a sweep would put UL tied with Middle and in a virtual tie with Troy atop the league.
UL's preparation, though, won't be any different despite the series ramifications, according to Cajun coach Stefni Lotief.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070421/SPORTS/704210336/1006/SPORTS" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com
<!--
"We're not focusing on doing a lot of different things," Lotief said Friday. "As long as we go out and perform close to our potential, we'll be happy. Softball's different from football or basketball ... you may have different game plans, but mostly you still work on the same skills."
Those skills were on display Wednesday when UL took 5-0 and 14-0 wins over a Houston team that is an odds-on favorite to win the Conference USA title. In that twinbill, Cajun pitchers gave up only three hits and the UL offense produced six home runs.
Before Wednesday, UL had lost five of its last six games including going 1-4 in its last two Sun Belt weekends.
"That obviously gives us a little confidence coming into a big series," Lotief said of the Houston wins. "It's a little springboard for the weekend."
Freshman pitcher Brittany Cuevas (23-7) had a complete-game two-hitter in Wednesday's opener and Holly Tankersley picked right up in the nightcap, giving up one infield hit in her three innings.
"She (Brittany) came out and attacked the whole time," Lotief said. "She was able to get her speed back, but it was more an attack attitude. That was important to her, and she set a tone for everyone else."
The Trojans have taken two out of three games in each of their last three Sun Belt series. After this weekend, Troy has only one more league series in two weeks against South Alabama.
Troy leads the conference in hitting and is the only team in the league with a batting average over .300 (.306).
"They do a very good job overall," Lotief said of the Trojans. "They don't have just one or two strengths. They're very balanced, just like last year, and they do a lot of things week."
-->
</td> </table>
Does anyone know what's the reason for Lynn Britton not being allowed/voted into the cajuns hall of fame? I just heard about it and find it very odd that the only 4 time all american is not voted in. Something very strange about that!Quote:
Originally Posted by NewsCopy
what do you think the reason is?Quote:
Originally Posted by cayenethepepper
Z.
Uhhhhhh...........if I knew I wouldn't ask bro!! What do you think the reason is?Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeebart21
Quote:
Originally Posted by cayenethepepper
Dont worry about zebras stupid question to you he was probably in need of his medicine.
<! ->Quote:
<table bgcolor=#eaeaea> <td> <font color=#000000> <center><b>UL wins first game with Cuevas no-hitter, loses second by 3 runs
</b><i>ESPN 1420 broadcast announcers fill in for Steve Peloquin</i></center><blockquote> <p align=justify>
A freshman puts together a career performance, and then your player-of-the-year finalist gets thumped.
Welcome to Ragin' Cajun softball, as the team's April struggles continued during a split of Saturday's Sun Belt Conference doubleheader with Troy at Lamson Park.
"We would have liked to have had a better mound presence in Game 2," UL coach Stefni Lotief said after Troy smashed four home runs to win 8-5 in the second game of the weekend series.
"But our offense really stepped up today and, obviously, Brittany Cuevas was phenomenal in Game 1," she said. "Those are the positives I'm going to look at and just get ready for the next one."
Having won every Sun Belt regular-season title since Lotief took over the program in 2001, UL is dangerously close to the edge of entering the conference tournament in a couple of weeks without the No. 1 seed.
Troy came into the series in first place with a 13-5 Sun Belt record. UL - which stumbled to 3-5 overall and 1-4 conference records in April - was at 8-6. Also at six losses were Middle Tennessee State (11-6), South Alabama (8-6), Florida Atlantic (6-6) and Western Kentucky (6-6).
Confused? Just think how a large and rowdy crowd viewed Saturday's play.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/SPORTS/704220339/1006" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
Bob Heist
bheist@theadvertiser.com
<!--
In Game 1, Cuevas - a freshman from Brazoria, Texas - threw her first career no-hitter as 19th-ranked UL blistered the Trojans, 7-0.
Improving to 24-7 on the season, Cuevas walked four and struck out nine. She allowed only one ball to leave the infield.
Backing that performance was an offense that knocked Troy ace Angela Lopez out of the game in the fifth inning after a leadoff homer by Holly Tankersley hit three-quarters of the way up the light standard in right-center field.
The homer was the game's second for Tankersley, who finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs. Desi Chatman and Lacey Bertucci also homered. Of UL's 11 hits, seven went for extra bases, including doubles by Codi Runyan, Melissa Verde and Karli Hubbard.
So that was the good part for the Ragin' Cajuns. The bad? They couldn't finish the job.
After Chatman gave Game 2 starter Tankersley, a finalist for college softball player-of-the-year honors, a 1-0 lead in the second inning with an RBI single, the junior from Kirbyville, Texas, was unable to take advantage.
And it was a strange effort for Tankersley, who allowed just four hits in 4.1 innings. All of those hits, though, were huge, as Felicia Hammer drilled a two-run homer in the second inning, Brooke Powell slapped a two-run double in the fourth, and Heidi Johnson and Courtney Davis hit consecutive home runs in the fifth.
Tankersley was yanked after Johnson and Davis went back-to-back. Redshirt freshman Amanda Hill finished the game, allowing a fourth homer to Amanda Ragans to lead off the seventh inning.
"Everyone has good and bad days, and in a way I had some of both," said Tankersley, who fell to 12-5 on the mound and now leads the team in homers (15) and RBIs (49) for the season. "We stayed in the game on offense, but I had a few mistakes on the mound that hurt us. I guess that's just the way it goes sometimes."
Also interesting was the fact that Lopez (17-4) - just named the Sun Belt pitcher of the week - came on in relief in Game 2 for the win. Over the final four innings, the junior from Navarre, Fla., scattered four hits and allowed two runs - including Tankersley's third homer of the day.
Earlier in the game, Melissa Verde hit a two-run homer off Troy starter Heather Rush.
"We just have to stay positive, because there's a lot of games left to play (in the conference)," Cuevas said. "If we do that, we'll be fine. One setback like that second game isn't going to stop us. It was just another game and we'll move on.
"I just hope people remember we have a great team. We're going to be fine, trust me."
The series finale is 1 p.m. today.
-->
</td> </table>
<! ->Quote:
<table bgcolor=#eaeaea> <td> <font color=#000000> <blockquote> <p align=justify>
For six seasons under Stefni Lotief, UL has dominated Sun Belt Conference softball like no other program. Consider:
Since Lotief was named head coach in 2001, the Ragin' Cajuns were 96-9 in conference play prior to 2007.
Lotief's teams have won every Sun Belt regular-season title and swept through the conference tournament, winning the last six championship games by a 46-11 margin in combined runs.
In fact, UL has been nearly bullet-proof against Sun Belt competition. Including a 22-0 record in tournament play, the Ragin' Cajuns are 118-9 against league opponents since 2000.
But this season, some folks have decided to spit in Superman's face. And Troy did just that in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader at Lamson Park.
No-hit by UL's freshman standout Brittany Cuevas in the opener, the Trojans made a statement by hitting four home runs to win Game 2, 85.
College softball player of the year finalist Holly Tankersley only allowed four hits in the second game, but three left the park as Felicia Hammer, Heidi Johnson and Courtney Davis all smashed home runs for Troy.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070422/SPORTS/704220338/1006" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
Bob Heist
bheist@theadvertiser.com
<!--
That despite the fact UL appears to have played its way into a situation where a sweep of this three-game series with the Trojans was paramount to winning a seventh regular-season conference title under Lotief.
Sure, there's another opportunity for UL to complicate the conference race today when the teams close the series at 1 p.m. back at Lamson Park. But chinks in the program's armor that weren't evident before are visible.
Now 9-7 in Sun Belt games, UL has just two less conference losses than the previous six seasons combined.
Is there time to recover? Absolutely. The team isn't ranked 19th in the country by accident, and the no-hitter by Cuevas was a signature moment just weeks before the conference tournament at Middle Tennessee State.
But there aren't any gimmees for this club, either. It's young in spots, and the Ragin' Cajuns are learning that what goes around has finally come around.
"It's just a long season, and through any season, everything doesn't go perfect," Lotief said. "We're experiencing that a little, but there's a long way to go, too."
-->
</td> </table>
I've not been a fan of Bitter in the past... but I am willing to compliment him for stepping forward following the tradegy in Steve's family and helping out with calling the game. I think, under the circumstances, that he did a great job... AND EVEN REFERED TO OUR SCHOOL AS THE "UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA".Quote:
Originally Posted by NewsCopy
My compliments, Mr. Bitter.
According to a Lady Cajun injury report Tankersley has an injury to her pitching hand, which prevents her from gripping the ball tightly. This is a possible explanation for her giving up those homeruns. Without those the Ladies have a chance of winning the game and a complete sweep of the series, since they mercy ruled Troy 8-0 this afternoon.Quote:
Originally Posted by NewsCopy
Next season we have Cuevas and the signee from John Curtis, Brignac, available for pitching duties. Tankersley can concentrate on her hitting, and the Ladies will be little more experienced. Should be a fun year. Those folks who took advantage of our inexperience, and pitching depth this year had better savor the moment, cause their chances of a repeat next year will be nil to none!
Lets not forget Ms Donna Bourgeois from Teurlings. According to Guru she has just recently been clocked at 63 mph. next year....Our cup runneth over....Quote:
Originally Posted by CajunCharlie
mais dats a good ting... yeah T!
Z.
ps props again to Bitter and Prather. Excellent job, guys!