Kirchberg tosses No-No ( First of Career )

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DENTON, Texas – The 13th-ranked Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns softball team is in line for its first Sun Belt Conference sweep of the 2006 season. Senior pitcher Ashley Kirchberg saw to it. Kirchberg tossed her first career no-hitter helping lead No. 13 Louisiana-Lafayette (38-8, 6-2 Sun Belt) to a 5-0 victory in game two of a doubleheader with North Texas (18-29, 1-7 Sun Belt) here Saturday afternoon at Denia Park. Earlier in the day, UL posted a 2-0 victory in game one and clinched its third Sun Belt series win with the game two victory. While Kirchberg was shining in the pitching circle the offense cranked out three home runs as Danyele Gomez, Lacey Bertucci and Ashley Evans each homered over the 225-foot fences of Denia Park. Combined with FIU’s 7-1 loss to Western Kentucky in game two of their doubleheader, the Ragin’ Cajuns took over sole possession of first place in the league improving to 6-2 in league play while FIU fell to 5-3. The shutout was the Ragin’ Cajuns’ second straight after entering the weekend series with no shutouts in the first six Sun Belt games. Kirchberg collected her team-best 11th solo shutout as the team’s season total grew to 20. Both Kirchberg and North Texas’ Anne Morton traded hitless frames through the first three innings. The second time through the lineup got things headed in the right direction for the Ragin’ Cajuns. Brittany Bryant drew a leadoff walk and Gomez ripped a double that landed at the base of the outfield fence in left center field. Evans put an end to the scoreless drought when she belted her 16th home run of the season to put the Cajuns up 3-0. The rest of the story LOUISIANA SI

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The first game was a nail-biter, so Ashley Kirchberg and the heart of the University of Louisiana softball lineup were taking no chances in the nightcap Saturday afternoon. Kirchberg fired a no-hitter, the first of her collegiate career, at North Texas and Danyele Gomez, Lacey Bertucci and Ashley Evans all had home runs as the Cajuns rolled to a 5-0 victory in the second game of their Sun Belt Conference series. UL had taken a 2-0 victory in the opening game at UNT's Denia Park in Denton, Texas. The two wins - UL's first shutouts in nine games and their first twinbill blanking since March 31 - put the 13th-ranked Cajuns (38-8, 6-2) into first place in the Sun Belt standings heading into today's noon finale of the three-game series. Kirchberg (17-1) came within one pitch of a perfect game, with the only North Texas baserunner reaching when Cajun shortstop Codi Runyan mishandled leadoff hitter Katya Muller's slap ground ball leading off the fourth. Kirchberg retired the final 12 batters in order and finished with five strikeouts in her 11th shutout of the season. "She kept their batters off balance," said Cajun coach Stefni Lotief. "She and Krystal (Lewallen) both had a good game plan against their hitters, and Ashley got ahead in the count and went right at them. We had a good game plan, and both of them got some awesome defensive plays behind them." The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com