UL 6 - LSU 7

[shof]

Bummer; but it sure looked like a good game.

[Zeebart21]

Bummer; but it sure looked like a good game.

Sure looks like it, huh!!

Congrats to the Tigers. We'll have to do it thru the losers bracket!

Z.

[NewsCopy]

BATON ROUGE - It is not often in sports that a game lives up to its billing. The University of Louisiana vs. Louisiana State NCAA Regional softball game on Saturday afternoon at Tiger Park lived up to everything and then some. It wouldn't have been better had the game been played for naming rights, which is something they should seriously consider for future pairings in the regular season. But these rival schools quit playing in the regular season after the 2001 season for whatever reason, and that only added pepper for this long-awaited game. A car caught on fire just beyond left field Friday on the opening night of this regional, but that had nothing on this game. Neither did Vice President Dick Cheney's address to LSU's graduating class Friday afternoon. This one had all the fireworks and the buck shots. It had three home runs, three extra innings and an ejection. The game was played at LSU, but there were just as many UL fans making just as much noise, and UL batted last. The state of Louisiana won. The rest of the story Glenn Guilbeau gguilbeau@theadvertiser.com

[Turbine]

It is both frustrating and sad to know how much good -really good- softball is willingly being left on the table.

[NewsCopy]

BATON ROUGE - A bunt was probably the last thing anyone expected, especially after the way the first nine innings went Saturday. But Stephanie Hill's 25-foot tap was the biggest play of an NCAA Regional Softball Tournament battle between the state's two softball powers, and the hit that put LSU into today's championship game. Hill's two-out squeeze bunt in the top of the 10th inning pushed across Leslie Klein with the eventual winning run, and the top-seeded and host Tigers escaped with a 7-6 win over Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns in their much-anticipated meeting. LSU (53-12) had battled back from a 5-2 deficit, and then watched the 15th-ranked Cajuns stage their own game-extending rally in the bottom of the eighth inning. "We told our players that we needed to make something happen in this inning," LSU assistant coach James DeFeo said. "We got the runners on that gave us a chance." A fielders' choice ground ball and an error provided those runs, and DeFeo - subbing for head coach Yvette Girouard, who was thrown out in the fifth inning - called for the squeeze. "He said he was thinking about it (bunting), and I said it's a great call," said Hill, whose second-inning home run had given 12th-ranked LSU its first run. UL third baseman Tara Hamilton fielded Hill's bunt but had no play at either the plate or at first. Cajun pitcher Ashley Kirchberg recorded a final out moments later, but the damage was done. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[Turbine]

If there is any adrenaline left, today should be fun.

[Turbine]

One thing of note (to me) in the first Saturday game vs LSU was Steve Peloquin on 105.1 fm had just finished saying (early in the 5th) the coaching staff would not hesitate to pull Lewallen if she showed signs of getting in trouble.

I was thinking -in the 5th- that she was getting way behind and showing signs that she didn't have her best "stuff" then she gave up two runs.

So based on the radio broadcast I was surprised to see her back in the 6th.

Hindsight is usally 20-20 and in retrospect I think there was a little bit of hesitation that may or may not have cost UL the vctory.

I do know this; up to the point of the 6th inning home run Lewallen had done an EXCELENT job of pitching when she found herself behind (in the count) vs the hitters.