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Forgot about her, which will really makes the rest of the league even more nervous. Also, St Thomas Moore centerfielder, Katey Stanford, has committed to UL. So, we get some more batting power, and the league anxiety level rises a little more!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeebart21
Stanford must be coming on Tops or Academic scholarship, I was told this week there are no more scholarships available after the early signing period.Quote:
Originally Posted by CajunCharlie
Cajuncharlie, I know that Cuevas, Brignac, Bourgeois will be contenders for the circle next year. I might add the name of Sigur who has seen some arm time this year. Nonetheless, it looks like Dynomite for 2008 from 40+ feet out.
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Give UL's softball team enough chances, and chances are you'll get burned.
That's exactly what Troy experienced at rowdy Lamson Park on Sunday. And now what's left are two entertaining weeks to end a wacky Sun Belt Conference season.
"When all cylinders are clicking, we have one of the best teams in the country," said Ragin' Cajuns first baseman Lacey Bertucci, who delivered the knockout punch with a grand slam during an 8-0 win in five innings over Troy to close the weekend series.
"We're scary when we're on, and I think we're really getting close to that."
And in dropping two of three games to UL, the conference-leading Trojans never had a chance Sunday.
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Trailing 1-0, starting pitcher Michelle Grinage failed to record an out during a disastrous fourth inning for Troy (36-14, 14-7 Sun Belt). Grinage walked in a run and gave up Bertucci's long grand slam to center field before being replaced by Heather Rush.
UL then followed with four singles -including RBI base hits from pinch-hitters Adele Files and Jessica Lemoine - to complete the seven-run explosion.
"I made a poor coaching decision not making a pitching change earlier," Troy coach Melanie Davis said. "Michelle Grinage was doing a good job of keeping their big bats off-balance and I got greedy. They made us pay for my bad decision."
Bertucci's homer was her second of the series and 12th this season. In all, UL feasted on Troy pitching in taking two of three games, batting .342 (26-for-76) with six homers and three doubles.
Also enjoying the Trojans' visit was freshman pitcher Brittany Cuevas, who threw her second gem of the weekend on Sunday.
After firing a no-hitter to open the series, Cuevas came back in the final game to allow just two hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Dating back to Wednesday's 5-0 shutout win over Conference USA power Houston, Cuevas has thrown 19 consecutive scoreless innings and allowed just four total hits.
"Brittany's a key for this team and I give her so much credit, because she's gotten to the point where she's pretty much healthy again after battling through some injuries," UL coach Stefni Lotief said after the 19th-ranked Ragin' Cajuns improved to 39-13, 10-7.
"She's brought it to another level again, and that's why you're starting to see us play at another level."
By winning the series against Troy - and counting other results from across the Sun Belt - UL remained a threat to win its seventh straight regular-season conference title. The Ragin' Cajuns are currently in third place, one loss in the standings behind Troy and Middle Tennessee State (11-6). Florida Atlantic and Western Kentucky are next, both tied at 8-7.
"We've had our ups and downs this season, but we're up now and that feels good," Bertucci said. "As far as the regular season conference thing, I don't care. What I care about is the postseason, and I think we're back on track now.
"And I think that's scary for everybody else we're going to play."
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I wonder if they might redshirt Bourgeois. Would probably be a good idea considering the depth we will probably have next year at pitcher.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zeebart21
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New Orleans – Lady Cajun freshmen Melissa Verde and Brittany Cuevas were respectively named the Sun Belt Conference’s Softball Player and Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced on Monday.
The duo helped lead ULL to a 4-1 record last week defeating CUSA member Houston in non-conference action before taking two of three from SBC leader Troy over the weekend.
Verde went 8-of-15 from the plate (.533), hitting a double, three homeruns and knocking in nine RBIs. The freshman had 18 total bases and finished the week with a 1.200 slugging percentage.
On the diamond, Verde committed only one error in 22 chances at third base.
In the circle, Cuevas pitched three complete games for a total of 19 innings. She only gave up four hits in the three games, surrendering no runs.
She struck out 22 batters she faced in the 19 innings. She pitched two two-hitters, a 5-0 decision against Houston on Wednesday and then 8-0 against Troy on Sunday. Cuevas no-hit Troy on Saturday in a 7-0 win over the Trojans.
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That is the plan at this time, as per the staff. But, they thought the same thing about Valle Gaspard as well. I think the fall will have alot to say about what happens with Bourgeois. She is an excellent athlete like Holly(Wood) Tankersley and she can really swing the bat well too.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cajun90
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The numbers are staggering, really. And it's that fact which whets the imagination of Middle Tennessee softball coach Leigh Podlesny.
In a nutshell, the Blue Raiders' coach is this close, yet so far away. But that's the mystique UL enjoys. And it's that combination of envy and jealousy that has a handful of Sun Belt teams dreaming about 2007 finally being the season when the Ragin' Cajuns' monopoly over the league is snapped.
"If you had asked me at the beginning of the season if I'd be happy with where we're at right now - absolutely," Podlesny said. "But we don't take anything for granted, either. We know we have to take care of our business or that big shadow of Lafayette (:hot:) is going to hang over us again."
And it really is wacky to look at the possible combinations involved that could disrupt the Ragin' Cajuns continuing to dominate Sun Belt softball. But the fact remains, UL is currently on the outside looking in.
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Sports Editor, Advertiser
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The question begging for an answer as the conference enters the final two weeks of the regular season is this, though:
Can anyone -specifically MTSU and Troy - finish the job?
Here's a look:
MTSU
The Blue Raiders (24-23 overall, 11-6 Sun Belt) are currently two games back in the standings, but are actually one game in the loss column ahead of first-place Troy. MTSU also took the season series from the Trojans by winning two of three games.
Even Troy coach Melanie Davis admitted the ball is in MTSU's court as far as winning the regular-season title after dropping two of three games against UL at Lamson Park over the weekend.
"We've played ourselves into this situation," Davis said after the Trojans fell to 14-7 in the Sun Belt following Sunday's 8-0 loss in five innings to the Ragin' Cajuns. "But looking at it realistically, (MTSU) really controls its destiny."
But what looks good on paper may be hard to actualize in practice.
MTSU ends Sun Belt play against Florida Atlantic (28-21, 8-7) and Western Kentucky (25-24, 8-7). The Blue Raiders - who took two out of three games from UL - have not swept a complete three-game conference series this season. Heck, in the last month alone, MTSU has dropped a game to both UL Monroe (22-33, 2-16) and North Texas (18-31, 10-11).
Troy
The Trojans had a chance to distance themselves from UL and MTSU over the weekend, but just couldn't deal with Ragin' Cajuns freshman pitcher Brittany Cuevas.
In the two games Cuevas (25-7) started, Troy managed just two combined hits and was outscored by a 15-0 margin.
With the current state of its pitching, it's hard to imagine Troy (36-14, 14-7) will sweep South Alabama (31-18, 9-8) in the Trojans' only remaining conference series on May 5-6. That fact becomes more tangible considering the team hasn't swept any of its past four conference opponents.
"Sweeps are almost unheard of in this league this year, so that's not a big concern," Davis said. "What's a concern is being ready to play that final series. Our advantage is we get to take a week off from the conference and see what happens."
"But it would be nice to be the team that breaks up what Lafayette has going," she added. "We really could have helped ourselves in that regard, but couldn't."
Ragin' Canjuns
UL (39-13, 10-7) really is in the most advantageous position to roll through the remainder of the conference schedule unbeaten with series left against North Texas and UL Monroe. But that's going to rely on a second pitcher emerging.
Cuevas - just named the Sun Belt pitcher of the week - is finally healthy after battling through mid-season injury issues and is dominating opponents again. In her last three starts, the Brazoria, Texas, native is 3-0 with a no-hitter and 0.00 ERA. She's also riding a 19-inning scoreless streak.
But in three games sandwiched around those starts, pitchers not named Cuevas are 1-2 and have given up 11 earned runs in 17 innings -plus five home runs. That's not the stuff that has helped UL sweep every regular season and tournament title since 2000 and amass a 118-9 record against Sun Belt competition entering 2007.
Toss in the program annually being in the Top 20 and it's no wonder the rest of the league is hoping to capitalize on a "down" season. And there's another reason coaches around the Sun Belt are hoping for Christmas in May:
Next year, UL coach Stefni Lotief is going to pair USA Junior World team star Ashley Brignac from John Curtis High in New Orleans with Cuevas.
Entering the Class 2A state tournament in Sulphur later this week, Brignac is 23-0 with a 0.00 ERA and seven perfect games this season. In the playoffs, Brignac has thrown two perfect games and struckout 35 of the 36 batters she's faced.
Can UL get hot and, in particular, Troy and MTSU stumble just enough to open the door for the conference's most dominant run to continue?
The rest of the Sun Belt is hoping that for just once a team other than the Ragin' Cajuns can with a softball title - be it in the regular season or postseason tournament.
"I think that's the grand statement of how special a run this has been for our program," Lotief said. "But if it doesn't happen in the regular season this year, we'll just try and start another one next year. The conference as a whole, though, is on the rise and that's exciting.
"But I guess the bottom line is we don't shy away from challenges, and this isn't one we're going to shy away from, either. We've just got to get a little better and play a little better - and we will."
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Check this link out. It is the offical NCAA Women's Softball RPI. UL is ranked # 20.
http://web1.ncaa.org/app_data/weekly...07WSBrpi1.html
Looking good!
I have never seen an official RPI :???:
This is VERY good. Considering the rough stretches we've endured this season, to still be in #20 RPI is outstanding. This will go a LONG way in helping us get into postseason play if we should happen to falter in the conference tourney.
Interesting question: Since our RPI will prolly be good enough to get into the NCAA tourney whether we win or lose the conf. tourney, do you think it's possible that we'd lose in the conf. tourney but still get in the NCAA, while some upstart-lotta-luck sunbelt team would win the conf. tourney but not be good enough to get into the NCAA since SBC is not yet auto bid for conf winner? Is that possible? Am I making sense? Probably not, since the work day has been long. haha.
Y'all have a good one.
God Bless
GEAUX UL RAGIN CAJUN SOFTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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The NCAA's softball Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) rankings are no longer the deep, dark secret that they've been in the past, and UL coach Stefni Lotief is glad of that.
"If the committee's going to use it as a tool to make decisions, it's better that it's out there," Lotief said Thursday. "Everyone can see it and everyone knows where they stand."
The Ragin' Cajuns, preparing for their next-to-last Sun Belt Conference weekend of the season Saturday and Sunday at North Texas, are ranked 20th in this week's first official release of RPI ratings. This season is the first that the NCAA's RPI lists have been made public.
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As with other sports, the NCAA did not release its RPI percentages or its formula for deriving the RPI, but simulations that mirror the RPI have been available in the past.
The Cajuns (39-13, 10-7 Sun Belt) are far and away the top-ranked RPI team in the Sun Belt, with Florida Atlantic the next-closest at No. 52. UL is second among state teams, with LSU (46-6) ranked 10th in the RPI listings.
UL has played 11 games against teams ranked in the top 35 in this week's RPI, and holds an 8-3 record in those games. The only losses are to national RPI leader Arizona and to No. 4 Alabama (twice), and the Cajuns have wins over No. 5 RPI Arizona State, No. 12 Baylor (twice), No. 22 Houston (twice), No. 23 Fresno State and No. 34 Georgia (twice).
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UL's softball team needed big performances from one regular source and one unlikely source Saturday, and Lacey Bertucci and Amanda Hill provided those performances.
Bertucci had a three-run homer to bring the Cajuns back from a 3-0 deficit, and Hill had a solid pitching performance over the final four and one-third innings as UL held on for a 6-5 victory over North Texas in the first game of their Sun Belt Conference doubleheader at UNT's Lovelace Stadium in Denton, Texas.
Buoyed by that performance, UL scored six runs in the first inning of the nightcap and rolled to a 12-3 victory that boosted the Cajuns into a tie for second place in the Sun Belt standings.
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UL (41-13, 12-7), winners of 40 or more games for the ninth straight season, goes for a sweep in today's 1 p.m. series finale.
Bertucci's 13th homer of the season came in the fifth inning of the opener after North Texas (19-33, 10-13) had taken a 3-0 lead off Cajun freshman starter Brittany Cuevas.
Hill came in for Cuevas the bottom of the third inning, forced a ground ball to strand two runners in scoring position and retired eight straight batters before giving up a tying homer to UNT catcher Christen Jonse.
Hill (1-0), taking the first win of her career, also surrendered a solo homer to Susan Waters in the bottom of the seventh but fanned cleanup hitter Kristina Fowler to lock up the win. Fowler (6-13) took the loss after tossing four shutout innings to open the game.
UL had taken a 4-3 lead in the sixth when Karli Hubbard had a leadoff double for her third hit of the game and scored on Jessica Lemonie's infield grounder, outrunning a throw to the plate.
After Jonse's tying homer, the Cajuns scored twice in the seventh, both on infield errors by the Mean Green.
Cuevas (26-7) was touched for three hits and three runs while walking three early in the opener, but she shook off those effects and tossed a complete-game victory in the nightcap. She scattered six hits and allowed two runs while fanning five.
Cuevas got all the support she needed in the first inning of the nightcap, when UL sent 11 hitters to the plate and unloaded for six runs off UNT starter Ashley Lail (10-14).
Desi Chatman and Tara Hamilton had RBI singles, Melissa Verde had a sacrifice fly and Lemoine drew a bases-loaded walk, with two other runs scoring on two errors.
Chatman also had an RBI single in the third and Lemoine poked her first home run of the season in the sixth, a two-run shot that pushed the lead to 10-1.
UL moved into a tie with Middle Tennessee for second place in the Sun Belt Conference standings, both at 12-7, with Saturday's sweep. Troy, idle this weekend, leads the conference with a 14-7 mark.
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Did anyone notice that Codi Runyan did not play in these games?
A throw by Runyan helped UL beat Oklahoma at the Kia Classic last year.Quote:
Originally Posted by LuLu
I wonder if she is hurt, or is it a cold bat, or something else?
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UL's softball team only scored in one inning Sunday, but that was enough. And because it was enough, the Ragin' Cajuns remain in the hunt for a seventh straight Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship.
The Cajuns put up four runs in the third inning against North Texas, and followed the two-hit pitching of freshman Brittany Cuevas the rest of the way in posting a 4-2 victory over the Mean Green at UNT's Lovelace Stadium in Denton, Texas.
The win completed a three-game Sun Belt sweep for the 22nd-ranked Cajuns (42-13, 13-7) and left them one-half game behind league-leading Troy (14-7) in the conference standings with one regular-season weekend to go.
If UL sweeps its final three-game series at last-place UL Monroe Saturday and Sunday and Troy loses one of its three finale games at home against South Alabama, the Cajuns would claim the league title and the No. 1 seed for the Sun Belt Tournament May 9-12 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
"It certainly gives us a little more to play for," said Cajun coach Stefni Lotief. "It makes for an interesting last weekend."
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Cuevas (27-7), the reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week, allowed only two hits and fanned six while issuing seven walks. Unfortunately, the two hits were both solo home runs by Mean Green shortstop Katya Muller, the first of which gave UNT (19-34, 10-14) a 1-0 lead one batter into the bottom of the first inning.
The Cajuns responded in a big way in the third inning with a four-run uprising off UNT starter Ashley Lail (10-15). Singles by Holly Tankersley and Desi Chatman sandwiched around a walk to Lacey Bertucci loaded the bases, and Melissa Verde's ground ball plated Tankersley to tie the game.
Tara Hamilton followed with a single to give UL the lead for good, and pinch hitter Adele Files drew a bases-loaded walk to force in another run. Karli Hubbard then poked an infield single to plate Meagan Godwin for the 4-1 lead.
Muller's second homer came in the third, but Cuevas breezed the rest of the way. She got some late help when Amanda Hill came in to pitch to Muller and forced a ground ball in the seventh inning, and Cuevas came back in to record the final out.
"Brittany pitched another good game," Lotief said. "She had one hitter that gave her trouble, but Amanda came in and helped her finish up."
UL left the bases loaded two other times and ended up stranding 10 runners.
"It was a tough day to stay focused with their senior day," Lotief said. "But we found a way to get enough runs on the board. It's hard to sweep on the road, especially since we got behind twice early, but we found a way to win."
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After all the trials and tribulations and all the talk of a rebuilding year, UL's softball team is three wins and a little help away from retaining its post as the only champion in Sun Belt Conference history.
The Ragin' Cajuns travel to face struggling UL Monroe (3-18 Sun Belt) in their final league series Saturday and Sunday. If the Cajuns sweep that three-game set, they'll force Troy to do the same against South Alabama to hang on for the regular-season title.
If the Trojans slip up once, a UL sweep in Monroe would add to the regular-season crowns that the Cajuns have won each season since softball became a Sun Belt sport in 2001.
UL has also won every league tournament since that event was inaugurated in 2000 (the league played only a tournament that year before starting regular-season play in 2001), and will be one of the favorites again in this year's event May 9-12 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
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But the regular-season crown would be a nice touch.
"It's definitely something we want to continue," said UL coach Stefni Lotief. "It's one of the goals we set for our program every year."
It isn't as pressing a goal as making it to NCAA postseason play for the 17th time in 18 seasons, and one doesn't necessarily lead to the other. The Sun Belt doesn't receive an automatic NCAA bid for its tournament champion until next season, when the three-year waiting period to retain six members ends.
UL shouldn't have a problem securing an at-large postseason slot, considering the Cajuns were 20th in last week's NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI).
Winning or losing the league titles won't affect that ranking very much in the season's final two weeks. But that doesn't mean the Cajuns aren't interested in continuing the Sun Belt's most dominant run in any sport.
"This team has never been about who they're going up against or what someone else is doing," Lotief said. "They're more focused on doing what they do better and coming out focused on themselves every day."
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Call it the divine secrets of the rah-rah sisterhood.
Lacey Bertucci is related to long-ago president Chester A. Arthur, and one of her desires is to own and operate her own amusement park.
Desi Chatman, given her choice, would rather be watching college football or basketball, befitting her all-around athlete status.
Tara Hamilton says she's going to visit Fiji to scuba dive one day, and she's part of the way there since she's already got her scuba certification.
Different? Sure. But make no mistake, they are sisters.
"I'm leaving behind 20 sisters," Chatman said. "It's a sisterhood we have here."
"It's like our own sorority," Hamilton said of the UL softball team. "That's what I'm going to miss the most, having this kind of relationship."
Hamilton, Chatman and Bertucci are the officers of this sorority, the seniors that will likely play their final games at Lamson Park today when the Ragin' Cajuns host Nicholls State in a 4 p.m. doubleheader. It's the final regular-season home appearance for the 22nd (National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll) and 24th (USA Softball poll) ranked Cajuns.
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"Some of the other girls are already saying that they're going to miss me," Bertucci said. "I told them I didn't want to talk about it. I'm not going to face reality. I don't want to grow up, but I guess I have to."
The threesome has done a lot of growing up this season as the leaders of a squad expected to be mired in a "rebuilding" year. That was before the Cajuns started out 20-2 and put together an 8-3 record against teams ranked in the NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) top 20.
"We had those great early wins," Bertucci said, "and people realized we were better than they thought we'd be. We never thought about it that way. We were ranked at the start and we always thought that's where we're supposed to be."
"You never want to go out in your senior year with a rebuilding year," Hamilton said. "You want to go out on top. The 'rebuilding' went away when we beat a lot of good teams, and now we're just trying to keep getting better."
"Everybody said we were going to be young," Chatman said, "but our young players don't play like young players. They've helped us get where we need to be. At this point of the year, our freshmen are no longer freshmen."
The Cajuns (42-13) began the season with 15 first-year or redshirt freshmen on the roster, and desperately in need of leadership after the departure of several of the program's best-ever players over the past couple of seasons.
A lot of that leadership has come, ironically, from the right side of the diamond. Bertucci has been a fixture at first base for four seasons, most of Hamilton's action has been at second base and Chatman is the regular right fielder, although she's moved around the outfield with injuries forcing UL to shuffle its lineup.
Bertucci and Chatman both arrived at UL in 2003, Bertucci from Folsom and Covington High and Chatman out of Comeaux High. Hamilton, a native of Lumberton, Texas, who played one season at Wisconsin, joined the Cajuns one year later.
Bertucci played in a school-record 68 games, starting 67, as a freshman and earned second-team All-Sun Belt honors before moving up to first team the last two years. Hamilton has started 114 games over the past three years and made the Sun Belt All-Tournament team last year.
Chatman was a late bloomer after not playing high school softball, concentrating on basketball (a school record 41 points in one game) and track (state records in the shot put and discus). She did play select softball in the summer, enough to earn Most Valuable Player honors in the AFA National Tournament in 2002, and she's currently hitting a career-high .290 along with more hits (45), doubles (10), homers (eight) and RBI (35) this year than her first three years combined.
Those first three years flew by for all three. So has their senior season. But reality started setting in last Sunday, when UL was the visiting team for North Texas' Senior Day. The Cajuns finished off a three-game sweep of the Mean Green in that game.
"Holy smokes, they're out there doing that and that's us this week," Hamilton said. "That's when it started to sink in. It's the last time to do something that's been your whole life."
"It's like only a couple of days ago I was here on a recruiting visit," Bertucci said. "Now anytime I hear some of the younger girls talk about how they hope it goes by fast, I tell them they'll regret that when they're seniors."
"It's like I woke up today and I'm a senior," Chatman said. "I'm emotional, so I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. But after the game starts it'll be like any other game and let's get to work. It'll hit me later."
Nicholls State (26-24) at UL (42-13)
4 p.m. today (DH), Lamson Park
Radio: KPEL-AM (1420) with Steve Peloquin, air time 3:45p.m.
Last meeting: The teams split a doubleheader in Thibodaux earlier this season, UL winning the opener 6-1 and Nicholls taking the nightcap 61. It was UL's first loss and the Cajuns' only loss in their first 15 games.
Last time out: UL took three games at North Texas in Sun Belt Conference play, winning 6-5, 12-3 and 4-2. Nicholls State won three games at home from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in Southland Conference play.
Probable pitchers: UL, Brittany Cuevas (Fr., RH, 27-7, 1.95), Holly Tankersley (Jr., RH, 12-5, 2.70) or Amanda Hill (Fr., RH, 1-0, 1.97). Nicholls State, Krystal Ensminger (12-13, 4.23) and Jessica Barksdale (Jr., 6-6, 2.42).
Top hitters: UL, DH/OF Holly Tankersley (Jr., .382, 15 HR, 50 RBI), OF/SS Karli Hubbard (So., .325, 11 RBI), 3B Melissa Verde (Fr., .301, 7 HR, 41 RBI); Nicholls State, SS/OF Kathryn Harrell (Jr., .404, 2 HR, 8 RBI), 3B Leah Peterson (Sr., .365, 11 HR, 44 RBI), 1B Amy Thibodeaux (Jr., .356, 9 HR, 39 RBI).
Lagniappe: Final regular-season home appearance for squad and seniors Lacey Bertucci, Desi Chatman and Tara Hamilton ... Regular Cajun shortstop Codi Runyan is doubtful today with a back injury and is listed as day-to-day for the weekend and next week's Sun Belt Tournament ... Kodi Butler, a former standout at St. Thomas More, is on the Nicholls roster.
Next: UL at UL Monroe Saturday, 1 p.m. doubleheader, and Sunday, noon single game, Monroe.
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MONROE - Even if it's against the bottom team in the league standings, it's never easy to win three straight games.
That's the task confronting UL's softball team this weekend, if the Ragin' Cajuns want to continue one of the program's most impressive streaks.
The Cajuns (44-13), ranked 22nd (National Fastpitch Coaches Association) and 24th (USA Softball), travel to face UL Monroe in the regular season's final series. The teams play a 1 p.m. doubleheader today and a noon Sunday single game at the ULM Softball Complex.
UL is 14-7 in Sun Belt Conference play and one-half game behind Troy (15-7) in the league standings, with Troy entertaining South Alabama (10-10) in a weekend series. The Cajuns must win one more game than the Trojans this weekend to claim the Sun Belt regular-season crown for the seventh straight year - every year the Sun Belt has included softball among its sports.
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"It's not that much pressure," said Cajun senior Lacey Bertucci. "We know we have to go out and win, but that's our plan every game. That's not in our heads. We just have to keep doing what we're doing and fight every pitch."
Whether there's fight left in the host Warhawks (23-36) remains to be seen. ULM is 3-18 in league play and is already assured of finishing ninth in the nine-team league, not qualifying for next week's eight-team Sun Belt Tournament in Murfreesboro, Tenn.
While ULM's season ends Sunday, the Cajuns are gearing for the double-elimination league meet beginning Wednesday, with the seeds and pairings to be determined Sunday. UL - also winners of every Sun Belt Tournament since the league began tourney play in 2000 - has been the tournament's number one seed every year and can get that spot again by passing Troy in the final weekend.
"It's another three games against another team," said freshman pitcher Brittany Cuevas, "and that's all we can control. We'll go out and play strong and see what happens."
Cuevas (29-7) tossed back-to-back shutouts Wednesday night against Nicholls State in UL's final regular-season home appearance, giving up six total hits in the Cajuns' 8-0 and 9-0 wins. She struck out a season-high-tying 12 in the nightcap, and moved into UL's all-time top five in season wins and strikeouts during that game.
Cuevas, whose 29 wins are the most ever for a UL freshman, will likely start today's opener and Sunday's game. Today's second game is to be determined pending the game one outcome - and not by anything that may happen in Troy.
"We're going to go and play and let it happen, and not worry about who has to win where and all that," said senior outfielder Desi Chatman, who had a three-run homer on Senior Day Wednesday.
Whether or not UL wins the regular-season or the Sun Belt Tournament, the Cajuns are a lock for an NCAA Tournament bid (the Sun Belt winner does not earn an automatic bid until next season). Those bids will be announced on Sunday, May 13.
1 p.m. today (DH), noon Sunday, ULM Softball Complex
RADIO: None. TV: None.
LAST MEETING: UL took four wins over ULM in the 2005 season, winning twice in Lafayette (4-3, 9-0) and twice in Monroe (6-2, 9-0). The teams did not play last season. This is the first year for ULM to play in the Sun Belt Conference.
LAST TIME OUT: UL swept a home doubleheader from Nicholls State Wednesday by scores of 8-0 and 9-0. ULM hasn't played since last weekend when the Warhawks took a 3-1 series-ending win over Fla. International after losing the first two games.
PROBABLE PITCHERS: UL, Brittany Cuevas (Fr., RH, 29-7, 1.86) and Amanda Hill (Fr., RH, 1-0, 1.97). ULM, Lindsay Rittenhouse (Jr., RH, 15-18, 2.63) and Kandace Causey (Fr., RH, 2-7, 4.17).
TOP HITTERS: UL, DH/OF Holly Tankersley (Jr., .390, 16 HR, 54 RBI), OF/SS Karli Hubbard (So., .323, 11 RBI), OF Vallie Gaspard (Fr., .310, 8 RBI), 3B Melissa Verde (Fr., .302, 8 HR, 44 RBI); ULM, 2B Heather Hanson (Sr., .331, 2 HR, 14 RBI), 1B Jamie Liles (Sr., .328, 3 HR, 31 RBI), C Heather Williams (Sr., .272, 12 HR, 43 RBI).
LAGNIAPPE: UL needs a sweep of the weekend series to have a solid shot at winning the Sun Belt regular-season title, pending the outcome of Troy's home series against South Alabama. UL trails Troy by one-half game in the league standings but holds the tiebreaker advantage over the Trojans ... The Cajuns have won the last 10 meetings with UL Monroe ... Regular Cajun shortstop Codi Runyan, out for a week and a half with a back injury has been released to play and is listed as possible for the weekend and next week's Sun Belt Tournament.
NEXT: UL at Sun Belt Tournament Wednesday-Saturday, Murfreesboro, Tenn. Times and pairings will be determined after Sunday's play.
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It was not our best performance. But lady Cajuns win the 1st game 5-3..
Z.
On RaginCajun.com the Softball feed is still in the 3rd inning of Game One. Is there another feed and why do we have to depend on ULM's feed and not just have our own.
Everyone KNOW's that ULM has Crank Dialup, which I am told is slow as heck.
:D :h: :h: :D
Post what you know,
Thanks,
DaddyCajun
Cajuns won game one 5-3Quote:
Originally Posted by DaddyCajun
Troy won game one 2-0
Cajuns and ULM are tied scoreless in the top of the 5th
Troy is down 4-0 in the top of the 5th
Cajuns and Warhawks still tied at 0 going into the top of the 6th
Troy scores a single run but still trails 4-1 going into the top of the 6th
Still 0-0 heading into the top of the 7th. Cajuns need a big run!
Troy still down 5-1 now heading to top 7th also.
Melissa Verde draws a no out walk! This might get something going...