Louisiana-Lafayette softball tops LSU to reach super regional
News-Star news services • May 19, 2008
BATON ROUGE — Move over, LSU. There’s a new softball queen in the state of
Louisiana, and it calls itself Louisiana.
For the first time in its history, the University of Louisiana-Lafayette eliminated blood-rival LSU, the last state school to reach the Women’s College World Series and play in a super regional, from the NCAA postseason with a 6-3 victory Sunday afternoon in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional. And the Cajuns (49-12) did it in front of a capacity crowd of 1,454 at LSU in the last college softball game that will ever be played in Tiger Park.
Yes, the purple and gold flagship school was seeing vermilion (red) and white from end to end of Tiger Park as the No. 9 national seeded Lady Tigers and top seed here lost to No. 2 regional seed UL for the second time in 24 hours. Even had UL lost, it would have had another game to make up for it.
ULL advances to meet Houston in the Super Regional at Houston next weekend .
“Congratulations to the Cajuns,” said LSU coach Yvette Girouard, a UL graduate who built the UL program into national prominence and brought the Cajuns to three World Series before coming to LSU after the 2000 season and immediately taking LSU to World Series’ in 2001 and 2004.
“They played great and stepped up when they needed to,” Girouard said, then grimaced a bit. “They certainly had a lot of fans with them. They had a great following, outnumbered us about three to one.”
ULL defeated LSU 9-4 on Saturday, breaking a four-game NCAA postseason winning streak by Girouard over the Cajuns.
LSU, which was chosen as the regional host over UL, finishes the season at 44-18 and without advancing in the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 2005. The Lady Tigers will move to a new and larger ballpark next season.
ULL, which reached the World Series in 2003 under Girouard replacements Stefni and Michael Lotief , advances to the Super Regional for the first time since that format was adopted in 2005. The Cajuns were eliminated in their last four straight regionals, including back-to-back, one-run losses to LSU at Tiger Park in 2006.
“We are thrilled and excited to be advancing out of the regional,” said Stefni Lotief, an All-American player for Girouard at UL who has feuded with her former coach since Girouard left for LSU. “Without our fans we could not do what we do. It’s a love affair.”
Lotief, who patted Girouard on the shoulder after shaking hands following the game, deflected questions about her rivalry with Girouard.
“We’re just happy to to win,” she said. “We’re happy to be close to home. People were so kind to us here.”
When Lotief was asked if things are better now between Girouard and herself, former LSU pitcher Emily Turner, who now works at a Baton Rouge television station as a sportscaster, chuckled lou dly.
“I think the game was decided by the players on the field, and that’s where it needs to be decided,” Lotief said.
Two of the players who won it for UL were state-bred freshmen pitchers Donna Bourgeois and ace Ashley Brignac, both of whom LSU recruited hard but lost out to UL.
Bourgeois, a second team All-Sun Belt selection from Teurlings Catholic in Lafayette, held LSU to one run through the first five innings as UL built a 4-1 lead.
LSU erupted for two runs in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI double by Taylor Hollis and an RBI single by Erika Sluss to cut the deficit to 4-3. Bourgeois (16-4) allowed seven hits and three runs while striking out four for the victory.
Brignac, the Sun Belt pitcher of the year out of John Curtis in the New Orleans area, picked up the save. She relieved Bourgeois with two on and two out in the sixth.
After an illegal pitch moved the runners to second and third, Brignac got Ashley Applegate to ground out to second base to end the threat. Brignac, who beat LSU on Saturday, retired the side in order in the seventh to end the game.
Former LSU star Vanessa Soto, a senior who surprisingly transferred to UL after last season following three years at LSU, drove in two insurance runs for the Cajuns in the top of the seventh with a single off LSU reliever Cody Trahan for the 6-3 lead. Soto stuck it to LSU all weekend as she went 5-for-10 in the two games with a triple, two doubles and three RBIs.
“I really just tried to block all of that out,” Soto said when asked about playing against her old school. “It was just postseason. I enjoyed seeing my teammates before the games, but then it was down to business.”
Soto hugged LSU senior Killian Roessner after the game.
“I have a lot of respect for my old teammates,” Soto said.
“She had a great weekend,” Girouard said of Soto . “She’s a good ballplayer.”
ULL totalled eight hits — five off starter Dani Hofer and three off Trahan in relief. Hofer struggled with nine walks.
LSU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off Bourgeois when Rachel Mitchell doubled and scored on Roessner’s RBI double. Double plays ended LSU threats in the third and fourth innings.
“Losing is disappointing in general,” said Hollis, a senior who played her last game. “You never really imagine your last game. It’s disappointing to lose. We fought as hard as we possibly could. Whatever happened was meant to happen.”
Asked if losing to her old school made it worse, Girouard, like Lotief, deflected the question.
“Well, you know I keep saying it’s bittersweet,” Girouard said. “Deep down inside, I want them to do well. I’m an alum. But of course, not at my expense.”
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