The Book: Lady Cajuns softball 2007 Season

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&nbsp; Alcorn State surprised the 14th-ranked Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns softball team tallying a 5-4 victory here Friday evening at the Northwestern State Invitational.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (14-2) were held to only one hit through the first six innings before mounting a rally in the bottom of the seventh inning that fell short when Codi Runyan was thrown out from center field attempting to score the tying run.

The loss snapped UL’s seven-game winning streak and evened the team’s tournament record at 1-1.

Alcorn jumped in front in the third inning using a two-out rally to take a 2-0 lead. A two-out walk issued to Melissa Mason was followed by three consecutive hits that scored runs.

The Ragin’ Cajuns got one of the runs back in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Lacey Bertucci drew a leadoff walk then Holly Tankersley and Melissa Verde were hit by a pitch from Alcorn pitcher Corina Pendleton to load the bases.

A one-out sacrifice fly to left field off the bat of Jessica Lemoine scored pinch runner Courtney Trahan cutting the Braves’ lead to 2-1.

Another two-out rally in the top of the fifth inning plated three more runs for Alcorn State increasing the lead to 5-1.

A walk followed by back-to-back singles plated the Braves’ third run. Then a throwing error allowed the Braves to add two more unearned runs which gave them enough runs to hold on to the victory in the seventh inning.

The Cajuns quickly loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Karli Hubbard reached on the fielding error by Alcorn first baseman Melinda Ellis. Vallie Gaspard then walked moving Hubbard into scoring position. Meagan Godwin then singled down the left field line scoring Hubbard making it 5-2.

Gaspard and Godwin moved up on a passed ball and then Codi Runyan drew a walk to load the bases still with no outs.

After Bertucci fouled out for the first out of the inning, Tankersley singled back up the middle plating Gaspard and Godwin closing the deficit to 5-4. Runyan advanced to third base on the Tankersley base hit .

Melissa Verde worked the count full before lofting a fly ball into shallow center field. Runyan attempted to tag up for the chance to tie the game, but the throw from Alcorn center fielder Tonya Nelms was on target to nail down Runyan and complete the double play to end the contest.

Tankersley took the loss for the Ragin’ Cajuns. She surrendered five runs (three earned) while allowing five hits over five innings. The loss overshadowed the fact that she tied her career-high for strikeouts with 11.

Shari Sigur entered in relief in the sixth inning and tossed two innings of shutout softball. She allowed two hits and only faced one batter over the minimum.

The Ragin’ Cajuns will continue play in the Northwestern State Invitational on Saturday meeting Colgate at 9 a.m., at the Demon Softball Complex. Then at 11:30 a.m., the Cajuns move to Natchitoches Central High School for a meeting with Tennessee-Martin to complete round robin play.

<center><span title=" SID Matt Hebert "><b>LOUISIANA SI</span>


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And I am wondering WHY the headline is Cajuns LOSE. They did WIN the first game! The record is 14-2, but the focus is on LOSE. WHY? Holly had 11 strike outs! Brittany Cuevas had 8, combined for 18! That is awesome. Why is the focus on LOSE?

The game against Colgate will begin at 9 a.m. and can be observed on Live Stats on the RaginCajuns.com softball site. I believe it is due to the impending bad weather.

BTW, Becky McMurtry is the head coach of the Northwestern State team and is hosting this tournament. At age 25 she is tackling big work! Remember Becky? She is a 3 time All American that graduated as an Outstanding Grad in the College of General Studies in 2003. She missed graduation because she was playing on the UL team at the College World Series.

UL Proud!

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Originally Posted by LuLu

And I am wondering WHY the headline is Cajuns LOSE. They did WIN the first game! The record is 14-2, but the focus is on LOSE. WHY? Holly had 11 strike outs! Brittany Cuevas had 8, combined for 18! That is awesome. Why is the focus on LOSE?

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Need to find out where the story came from. If its from the NWST website, the moron SID probably did the story. He has no love lost for UL.

His headline for the UL win over NWST was something along the lines of "NWST pitcher subdues Rajin Cajun bats in Cajun victory". He made it a point to spell Ragin wrong as well.

Big test today to see if our girls can come back from that embarrasment last night.

Z.

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Originally Posted by LuLu

And I am wondering WHY the headline is Cajuns LOSE. They did WIN the first game! The record is 14-2, but the focus is on LOSE. WHY? Holly had 11 strike outs! Brittany Cuevas had 8, combined for 18! That is awesome. Why is the focus on LOSE?

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Because the Cajuns are supposed to win by a lot.... everytime they play opponents like this...

For example...
If I go out tonight and don't get arrested... then go out tommorrow and I DO get arrested, the headline will focus on what is NOT supposed to happen.

The Cajuns mopped the floor with Baylor et all at the big touney in Lafayette....

and lose to freaking Alcorn State???? That is news.

Individual stats? In a loss???? Are you kidding me?
\
The Cajuns are big time in softball... that is tough to get used to...

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Originally Posted by Pirogue

Because the Cajuns are supposed to win by a lot.... everytime they play opponents like this...

For example...
If I go out tonight and don't get arrested... then go out tommorrow and I DO get arrested, the headline will focus on what is NOT supposed to happen.

The Cajuns mopped the floor with Baylor et all at the big touney in Lafayette....

and lose to freaking Alcorn State???? That is news.

Individual stats? In a loss???? Are you kidding me?
\
The Cajuns are big time in softball... that is tough to get used to...

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All things you said are true. I still maintain nwst s.i.d is a knucklehead. :)

Z.

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&nbsp; NATCHITOCHES - UL's ninth-ranked softball team got back on the right track Saturday in the Northwestern State Invitational, and the Ragin' Cajuns will shoot for a third straight tournament title and a measure of revenge today.

The Cajuns rolled to a 10-1 five-inning win over Colgate and a 5-0 victory over Tennessee-Martin in its final two pool-play games Saturday, and claimed the top seed entering today's bracket play in the five-team tournament.

UL (16-2) will face fourth-seeded Alcorn State in today's 11:45 a.m. semifinals, following a 9:30 a.m. matchup between host Northwestern State and Tennessee-Martin. The two winners meet in the championship matchup at 2 p.m.

Alcorn (2-8) shocked the Cajun squad with a 5-4 win late Friday night in UL's second round-robin game, after the Cajuns had beaten the host Lady Demons 2-0 in their tournament opener. UL has won its previous two tournaments this year, both at home with Louisiana Classics and Ragin' Cajuns Invitational titles.

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Starter Holly Tankersley and Shari Sigur combined on a four-hitter in Saturday's opener, with Colgate (1-2) getting a lone second-inning run on Amanda Eccleston's RBI single. By that time, UL had scored three first-inning runs off Colgate starter Jesse McCarrick (0-1).

Hits by Codi Runyan and Karli Hubbard set up Tankersley's sacrifice fly, and two more runs scored on an error in that first inning. Melissa Verde's triple scored Lacey Bertucci in the third for a 4-1 lead, and the Cajuns added four more on five hits in the fourth including RBI singes by Lana Bowers, Hubbard and Desi Chatman.

Tankersley's two-run single in the bottom of the fifth capped the run-rule win. She finished with five strikeouts in three innings while Sigur fanned three in two innings and gave up one hit in her first collegiate save.

Freshman Brittany Cuevas (10-0) pitched the Cajuns to the win over UTM, allowing three hits and no walks while fanning nine. UTM starter Kara Harper (2-1) dueled her through three scoreless innings before the Cajuns broke through in the fourth and scored in every other inning.

Meagan Godwin's two-out single and steal set up Chatman's RBI single to right for a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, and Vallie Gaspard singled and stole second one inning later to set up Tankersley's RBI single through the left side.

UL added insurance with Gaspard's RBI single in the sixth that scored Chatman, and two more runs scored in the seventh on doubles by Verde and Godwin and Tara Hamilton's RBI single.




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&nbsp; NATCHITOCHES - Apparently, Friday night's upset loss to Alcorn State just made UL's softball team angry.

The ninth-ranked Ragin' Cajuns stormed through their final two games of the Northwestern State Invit-ational tournament Sunday, winning both their semifinal and championship games in run-rule fashion.

The Cajuns (18-2) got revenge on Alcorn in an 8-0 six-inning victory in Sunday's semifinal, and then popped Tennessee-Martin 9-1 in a five-inning title game at the Demon Softball Complex.

UL, winning its third tournament title in as many weekends, made a statement with its first batter in the title game when Codi Runyan laced her sixth homer of the year to left center off eventual UTM loser Ashley Myatt (3-2). The Cajuns then broke open a 2-1 contest on Melissa Verde's bases-clearing triple in the third inning.

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That was all the support that starting pitcher Brittany Cuevas (11-0) needed, as she scattered four hits in 4 1/3 innings of work and fanned six. Amanda Hill came on to get the last two outs and lock down the run-rule win.

UTM (8-5) reached the title game with a 7-5 win over host Northwestern State Sunday morning, and had rallied for a 1-1 tie after Runyan's homer on Brittany Nash's bunt single and Savannah Roberts' RBI ground ball in the first. But two walks and two UTM errors preceded Verde's shot to right field in the big third inning.

UL added three runs in the fourth and set up the shortened game off reliever Kara Harper. Singles by Vallie Gaspard, Runyan and Holly Tankersley plated one run, Lacey Bertucci's sacrifice fly pushed in another and Desi Chatman's single scored Tankersley for the eight-run lead.

The Cajuns had lost a 5-4 decision to Alcorn (2-9) in Friday's round-robin game, but left no doubt in Sunday's semifinal game by pushing across six runs in the first two innings in support of Cuevas. Lacey Bertucci's grand-slam homer in the second inning put the game out of reach.

Cuevas only threw 2 1/3 innings before leaving with the big lead, and freshman Shari Sigur (1-0) threw the final 3 2/3 to get her first collegiate win by scattering five hits.

Alcorn starting pitcher Corina Pendleton walked three of UL's first four batters and Verde punched a double through the right side for a 2-0 first-inning lead. One inning later, Gaspard's single and two walks set up Bertucci's sky-ball homer that dropped just over the left-field fence.

UL plays in its fourth tournament of the year Friday through Sunday when the Cajuns join Seton Hall and host Alabama in the Easton Spring Fling in Tuscaloosa, Ala.



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&nbsp; TUSCALOOSA | Ask anyone in softball about the third-ranked University of Alabama and you’ll find that the Crimson Tide is known for producing a lot of hits, a lot of runs and a lot of victories.

The same goes for No. 11 Louisiana-Lafayette.

The Crimson Tide (17-0) and the Ragin’ Cajuns (18-2) get together Saturday and Sunday in the Easton Spring Fling round-robin at the Alabama Softball Complex in this weekend’s top match-up of nationally ranked teams. Both will play Seton Hall today to open the event.

The programs have a lot of ties, and a lot in common. Alabama head coach Patrick Murphy’s first job as a softball assistant was at ULL, then known as Southwestern Louisiana. There he coached Stefni Lotief, now co-head coach of the Ragin’ Cajuns, and Alyson Habetz, now an assistant at UA. And former UA player Lacey Prejean is in her third season as an assistant at ULL.

“There’s some special friendships with Alyson and Pat and the coaching staffs," Lotief said. “I just think that life is made of relationships and friends.

“It’s a special situation for Lacey to go back there as a coach. Pat and Alyson have always had nothing but wonderful things to say about the university and the program there."

Alabama is in its 11th season of softball and has made four appearances at the Women’s College World Series, including the last two seasons and three of the last four. ULL has also been to the WCWS four times, including three trips in the 1990s and one in 2003.

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By Tommy Deas
tommy.deas@tuscaloosanews.com
205-722-0224.

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“They’re similar, obviously, two programs that have a lot of tradition behind them," Prejean said. “They’re both in the South. They’re similar in that both have a great, great winning tradition."

Another thing both programs have in common, this season at least, is skeptics. Even though Alabama is one of only three remaining unbeaten teams in the nation and no team has more wins than ULL, there are non-believers.

“I think a lot of people are still wondering if we’re for real, and it will be a good test to see if [ULL] can knock off a team in the top five," Murphy said. “Both teams have a lot to prove."

Not only do both Alabama and the Ragin’ Cajuns win, they do it with a powerful punch.

ULL has already hit 20 home runs in as many games this season and set a school record with 102 homers last season. The Ragin’ Cajuns have outscored their opponents 134-39 so far.

“I think they’re swinging for the fences," Murphy said. “That’s what the scouting report says. They’ve been successful at it for at least the last six years.

“It’s more of an offensive approach. I think it’s a lot different from what people have seen before."

Alabama has outscored its opponents 131-12 this season and belted 19 home runs. The Tide, however, likes to use speed to get runners on base and into scoring position to bring them home with solid hits. Murphy has worked to bring more small ball to the Tide program in the past few seasons to manufacture runs in tight games.

“I just know that Alabama has a very good team and a solid program," Lotief said. “The numbers and their success have proven that."

Both coaches believe fans will be pleased with the caliber of play when Alabama and ULL match up this weekend.

“I know there will be two very good softball teams who play good softball," Lotief said. “I think it will be a great weekend for softball."

Murphy hopes ULL brings a large crowd. He said the school was the nation’s attendance leader when he was an assistant there.

“They’re such great people down there," he said. “There was so much support for softball. I hope a lot of them come and see what we’ve built here."



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&nbsp; UL's 11th-ranked softball team unleashed its offense in a big way Friday in the opening game of the Easton Spring Fling hosted by the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

The Ragin' Cajuns rapped out seven extra-base hits in a 16-hit attack and rolled past Seton Hall 18-0 in five innings in the first of four round-robin games for UL during the event.

The Cajuns (19-2) play twice today and will get a more stern test at 1:30 p.m. when UL takes on unbeaten, third-ranked and tournament host Alabama (16-0). UL meets Seton Hall again at 11 a.m. in today's opener.

UL scored five runs in the second inning, four in the third and plated nine in the fourth inning in Friday's easy win, one that featured the Cajuns' biggest run output of the season.

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All that offense came in support of starting pitcher Holly Tankersley (7-2), who allowed one infield single in three innings and fanned five. Shari Sigur and Amanda Hill each tossed one relief inning in the run-rule-shortened game.

Desi Chatman's two-run homer in the second inning gave that trio all the runs it needed, but she wasn't even the offensive standout. Shortstop Codi Runyan had a three-run homer later that inning, a bases-clearing double in the third and a sacrifice fly in the fourth as part of a seven-RBI day.

The nine-run fifth featured a solo effort by third baseman Melissa Verde, who tripled in a run and scored early in the inning and capped the inning with a grand-slam homer to right field for the final margin.

Seton Hall starter Kim Schweitzer (0-7) was touched for 10 hits and 10 runs before departing early in the fourth inning.




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&nbsp; TUSCALOOSA -The third-ranked University of Alabama softball team and No. 11 Louisiana-Lafayette set the stage for a heavyweight slugfest Friday, with both teams pounding Seton Hall into submission on the first day of the Easton Spring Fling.

The Crimson Tide and the Ragin’ Cajuns both lived up to their reputations as two of the nation’s most potent offensive forces with mercy-rule victories over Seton Hall. Alabama ran its unbeaten record to 18-0 by downing the Pirates 12-0 in five innings after Louisiana-Lafayette (19-2) ripped Seton Hall 18-0.

The top showdown in the nation this weekend between ranked teams begins today at 1:30 p.m. Alabama and ULL will play again at the same time Sunday. ULL will open today’s action in the three-team round-robin event at 11 a.m. in another game against Seton Hall. Alabama will play the Pirates again at 4 p.m.

“It is going to be a shootout and we are all looking forward to it," Alabama coach Patrick Murphy said. “I think this is one of the most explosive teams we have ever had. We now have 12 players on our team who have hit a home run, and I’ve never had that in my career. They are so much fun to watch and you never know who is going to come through or how big the inning is going to be.

“Hopefully our pitchers are going to keep it in the park and we’ll just put the ball in play a lot and continue to play our game."

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By Tommy Deas
Sports Writer
tuscaloosanews.com
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Alabama, ranked second nationally in scoring average, hit three home runs to flex its muscle against Seton Hall (1-12). Mandy Burford, Lauren Parker and freshman Jessica Smith all cleared the fences, with Smith getting her first collegiate homer with a three-run shot to center in the fourth.

“It was so exciting," Smith said. “I was shaking in the dugout afterwards. It felt like a shot, but I could tell it went out by the excitement of everybody."

Freshman lefty Charlotte Morgan (5-0) pitched three no-hit innings with five strikeouts and a walk for the win, and also hit a double.

Jordan Praytor went 3-for-3 for the Tide, hitting both a single and a three-RBI double to lead Alabama to a seven-run outburst in the third inning to blow the game open.

Praytor can’t wait to play ULL.

“We are very much looking forward to it because a lot of people have doubted our high ranking," she said. “I think coming through and beating the No. 11 team twice will show that we deserve to be No. 3."

The Ragin’ Cajuns, the highest-ranked non-conference opponent to visit Alabama in six years, more than lived up to their swing-for-the-fences billing by hitting three home runs, including a grand slam, to overpower Seton Hall.

ULL, which came into the game ranked seventh in runs per game, went scoreless in the first inning before plating five, four and nine runs in the second, third and fourth, respectively. The Ragin’ Cajuns pounded out 16 hits, including three doubles and a triple, to go along with the homers.

“It was kind of good for us to establish and set our groove for the weekend," said third baseman Melissa Verde, who went 3-for-4 with a triple to go along with the grand slam, driving in five runs. “We wanted to set the tone for the weekend and carry it over to Alabama."

Stefni Lotief, ULL’s co-head coach, said the big outburst was over the top even for her team.

“That was, obviously, good hitting," she said. “I wish I could say that was typical spicy Cajun softball, but [the players] were obviously focused."

Shortstop Codi Runyon went 2-for-4 with a homer and a double to drive in seven runs. Designated player Desi Chatman was 2-for-2 with a two-run homer and Holly Tankersley was 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs.

Winning pitcher Tankersley (7-2) held Seton Hall to one hit with five strikeouts in three innings. Kim Schweitzer (0-7) gave up 10 runs on 10 hits in three innings to take the loss for the Pirates.

Reach Tommy Deas at tommy.deas@tuscaloosanews.com or at 205-722-0224.

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Does anyone have a link to livestats for softball or a score update? Thanks.