<table bgcolor=#eaeaea> <td> <font color=#000000> <blockquote> <p align=justify>
Coaches stress the importance of hitters making adjustments during a game. UL co-head softball coach Michael Lotief credited those adjustments for the Cajuns posting a pair of wins over Northwestern State on Wednesday at Lamson Park.
The Cajuns out-hit the Demons 11-2 in the opening game in rallying for a 6-2 victory, and then changed their focus in the nightcap in a 12-4 run-rule victory.
In the second game, NSU pitcher Michelle Castellano struggled to throw strikes, walking a total of 10 batters, but allowed only two hits through three innings and went into the fourth inning with a 4-3 lead.
In the fourth, though, Holly Tankersley and Lacey Bertucci drew leadoff walks, and Desi Chatman followed with a first-pitch home run over the center-field wall. One inning later, the Cajuns scored six more runs, in part thanks to three more walks.
<center><p><a href="http://www.theadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070329/SPORTS/703290338/1006" target="_blank">The rest of the story</a>
Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com
<!--
"It was at the point where it had to be right over the white for a strike," said Chatman, who finished with five RBIs after drawing a pair of bases-loaded walks. "That's always good for a hitter.
"As the game went on, we adjusted and we were going up there to have good at-bats. We had a lot of those in the second game."
The Cajuns (33-7), winners of six in a row and 13 of their last 14, only had six hits in the nightcap and three were bunt singles, but UL got three of those hits in the fifth inning including a two-run single by Meagan Godwin that also put the winning run at third base. Tara Hamilton's squeeze bunt plated Codi Runyan with the game-ender.
"They were being extra-careful on the middle of our lineup," Lotief said. "But our hitters are very patient and very selective. They get the pitch they want, and when they do they can do something with it."
Northwestern (17-19) led after three innings in both games, the nightcap lead courtesy of homers by Castellano and a three-run shot by Amanda Glenn off UL starter Shari Sigur. Tankersley (11-3) came on to work out of trouble in two shutout innings.
"The times when our pitchers have struggled," Lotief said, "our hitters have picked it up. We've been in a little slump, but our approach at the plate was good tonight."
The Demons played long-ball in the second inning of the opener, with Amanda Jameson and Kelly Corliss both poking solo homers off Cajun starter and winner Brittany Cuevas (21-4). Those were the only two hits allowed by the freshman, who retired 15 of the final 16 batters she faced with only a seventh-inning error marring that streak.
Her 21st win gave her the most by a UL freshman since All-American Brooke Mitchell won 20 games in 2002.
It took the Cajuns a little longer to get to NSU starter Kristen Lindley (1-4), but once they did they rapped out seven hits in a six-run barrage in the fourth and fifth innings. Bertucci had a leadoff homer in the fourth and Vallie Gaspard's one-out single plated Chatman with the tying run in the bottom of the fourth.
One inning later, Tankersley's leadoff single and walks to Bertucci and Chatman set up Runyan's one-hop double to the wall in left field. Lana Bowers' sacrifice fly and an error provided the final two runs.
-->
</td> </table>
