The Book 2009 LAdy Cajuns Softball

[NewsCopy]

  UL - The Lady Cajuns dropped the first Sun Belt Conference game of the season as they fell 1-0 to Western Kentucky in the first game of a doubleheader.

Neither team faired well offensively, combining for five hits. The Cajuns had two hits with Erikka Murphy collecting her first collegiate triple and Codi Runyan adding a base hit.

Brignac was solid in the circle. Brignac allowed just one earned run in the game, picking up her first loss of the season. She has currently worked 41.1 innings without allowing an earned run. Brignac fanned five batters, while walking just one.

The Lady Cajuns were plagued by errors throughout the first game. Louisiana committed a season-high five errors in the game. Errors led to the only run scored in the game and ultimately cost UL the game.

Western Kentucky threatened in the first inning. Brignac fanned the first batter. A dropped foul ball extended Brooke Reed’s at bat and Reed took advantage by singling to short. A fielder’s choice eliminated the lead runner, but a second Cajun error gave the Toppers runners on the corners. A ground ball to second base ended the inning and the threat.

The Cajuns were in good position to score in the third inning. Murphy led off the inning with her first collegiate triple. A popup and back-to-back shallow fly balls saw Murphy stranded on third and the score deadlocked at 0-0.

The Lady Cajuns worked out of a jam in the sixth inning. A bunt single started off the inning for the Hilltoppers. After an out, a throwing error by gave WKU runners on second and third with just one out. A walk loaded the bases. The Cajuns eliminated the lead runner on a fielder’s choice back to Brignac and escaped without allowing a run with a popup to second base to end the inning.

Western Kentucky scored what would ultimately prove to be the only run of the game in the seventh inning. Back-to-back errors by Louisiana and a hit batter loaded the bases with no outs. A strikeout recorded the first out of the inning, but a fielder’s choice plated the unearned run and gave the Toppers a 1-0 edge.

Gabriele Bridges led off the seventh inning and reached base on a fielding error by WKU. Kelly Cormier entered the game to run for Bridges, but would go no further as a fly ball and a pair of strikeouts ended UL’s comeback.

UL Press

[NewsCopy]

  Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns softball team opened up Sun Belt Conference play with a two-game split with Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers (16-6, 4-1 SBC) claimed the first game 1-0, before the Cajuns (17-6, 1-1 SBC) won game two 6-3 on Saturday afternoon at Alfred and Helen Lamson Lady Cajuns Softball Park.

The Cajuns collected 13 hits on the day, including 11 hits in the second game. Louisiana had four players record double-digit hits on the afternoon as Katie Smith, Karli Hubbard, Melissa Verde and Lana Bowers all had multiple hits in game two.

Smith led the way with three hits, while Bowers finished the second game of the twin bill 2-for-3 with a home run and a double.

UL received a pair of solid efforts in the circle from pitchers Ashley Brignac and Donna Bourgeois. Brignac worked game one, tossing seven innings, surrendering one unearned run on three hits, while striking out five. Bourgeois picked up her 12th win of the season, scattering nine hits in seven innings, allowing three runs and fanning five.

GAME 2 RECAP
The Lady Cajuns rebounded in the second game of the doubleheader downing Western Kentucky, 6-3, to pull even in at 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.

The Cajuns scored six runs on 11 hits in the second game, including a pair of extra base hits from Bowers.

Bowers finished the game 2-for-3 with a home run, a double, two RBI and a run scored. The home run was her first of the season and the 12th of her career.

Smith led all Cajuns’ players with three hits and two runs scored in the nightcap. Hubbard and Verde each added a pair of base hits and an RBI apiece.

The Cajuns jumped out to a quick lead in the second game of the twin bill. Smith reached safely with her 27th hit of the season, and a throwing error by WKU put the speedster on third base. A RBI single by Hubbard through the left side of the infield put the Cajuns ahead, 1-0.

In the second inning, Louisiana increased their advantage to 2-0. Bowers lifted a 1-0 pitch over the left center field fence. The home run was her first of the season and the 12th of her career.

Louisiana added two more runs in the bottom of the third inning. With one out, Melissa Verde singled through the left side of the infield. Runyan followed with a single up the middle. Courtney Trahan entered the game to run for Verde. Gabriele Bridges reached base on a fielder’s choice, but Trahan slid under the tag attempting to get the lead runner, leaving UL with the bases loaded. Ashley Ray came in to run for Runyan. A walk by Christi Orgeron scored Trahan from third and left the bases loaded. Jessica Dupont recorded a pinch-hit walk to score Ray from third and increase the Cajuns’ lead to 4-0 after four innings.

In the fourth inning, the Cajuns added an insurance run. Smith and Hubbard recorded back-to-back bunt singles to give the Lady Cajuns a pair of base runners. A well hit single to center field by Verde was enough to score Smith from second base and give the Cajuns a 5-0 lead after four innings of play.

Western Kentucky added a pair of runs in the fifth inning. The Toppers used three base hits and a fielder’s choice to plate two runners and cut the Cajuns’ lead to 5-2.

UL added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth inning and surrendered a run in the seventh to provide the final margin of 6-3.

The Lady Cajuns and Hilltoppers will play the final game of the three-game series on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. at Lamson Park.

UL Press

[NewsCopy]

  Western Kentucky coach Tyra Perry isn't quite ready to say the Hilltoppers have UL's number just yet.

But the Hilltoppers are obviously a lot closer than the other Sun Belt teams.

For the second straight year, WKU took a three-game series against the Cajuns, taking advantage of two critical Cajun errors in the ninth inning to beat UL 1-0 on Sunday to improve to 17-6 overall and 5-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.

Since Sun Belt softball started in 2001, the Cajuns (17-7, 1-2) have lost only four SBC series in 41 chances.

The rest of the story

Brady Aymond • baymond@theadvertiser.com • March 23, 2009

[ulforlife]

errors errors errors! wow, there goes any possible decent seed in the tournament

[ALL DAY]

Errors and lack of hitting! Wow I remember some early season threads pointing out these exact problems on the team.

[ALL DAY]

Oh yeah and maybe the same man who coaches the pitchers should start coaching the hitters ( not naming any names but the last name isn't Lotief or Malveaux ) Since we are pitching so well!

[CajunRagin88]

They need to figure out whatever is going on quickly before they kiss their season goodbye. 1/3 of the way through the season and things aren't getting any better.

Defensively: they need to pick an infield and stick with it. This constant shuffling is never going to let them create any chemistry.

Offensively: Something, anything. One of the most consistent and productive offenses in the nation last season is lost and stumbling in the dark this season.

[J-Town Cajun]

_ Oh yeah and maybe the same man who coaches the pitchers should start coaching the hitters ( not naming any names but the last name isn't Lotief or Malveaux ) Since we are pitching so well! _

Who is this pitching coach?

[Bunch24]

_ They need to figure out whatever is going on quickly before they kiss their season goodbye. 1/3 of the way through the season and things aren't getting any better.

Defensively: they need to pick an infield and stick with it. This constant shuffling is never going to let them create any chemistry.

Offensively: Something, anything. One of the most consistent and productive offenses in the nation last season is lost and stumbling in the dark this season. _

I wouldn't say lost and stumbling in the dark. They're still hitting .296 as a team and averaging 8.5 hits per game. They're just not getting some timely hits, right now, and that's a part of baseball/softball. They're also kicking it around on the infield, and that's part of the game also.

Keep in mind this team is still 17-7 and has half a season remaining. I realize the expectations for this program are insane, but come on now.

Michigan, Northwestern, Arizona and Florida State all have seven losses too. I doubt their fan base is panicking right now.

I hate to borrow a Lotiefism, but softball is a marathon. If it were a sprint, WKU would have been named SBC champs last year when they beat the Cajuns two out of three in March.

Remember, last year's Cajun softball team was 21-11 after the WKU series and went on to win 21 of its last 24 games.

Why does this fan base have to always be so negative about its sports teams?

[BeauCajun]

_


Why does this fan base have to always be so negative about its sports teams? _

That's a very good question Mr. Bunch. Let me know if you come up with a solution. I notice they do tend to congregate in bunches on here.

[CajunRagin88]

_ I wouldn't say lost and stumbling in the dark. They're still hitting .296 as a team and averaging 8.5 hits per game. They're just not getting some timely hits, right now, and that's a part of baseball/softball. They're also kicking it around on the infield, and that's part of the game also.

Keep in mind this team is still 17-7 and has half a season remaining. I realize the expectations for this program are insane, but come on now.

Michigan, Northwestern, Arizona and Florida State all have seven losses too. I doubt their fan base is panicking right now.

I hate to borrow a Lotiefism, but softball is a marathon. If it were a sprint, WKU would have been named SBC champs last year when they beat the Cajuns two out of three in March.

Remember, last year's Cajun softball team was 21-11 after the WKU series and went on to win 21 of its last 24 games.

Why does this fan base have to always be so negative about its sports teams? _

Its not panic time. However it is ok to be worried. Last season despite a rough start, you could see they were progressing along the way. This season it seems like they are only getting worse. Again though, its not panic time. The amount of errors they have can probably be fixed by simply taking a deep breath in and calming down. Same thing at the plate, I think their power hitters may be feeling abit more "stressed" without the production of Soto and Tank they had last season and are creating unneeded pressure on themselves. To get to the WCWS this season, their offense is going to need to find some stability from the "big bats". Timely hitting is everything, and I think some of the Cajuns are putting too much pressure on themselves when runners are in scoring position. Their .296 average is inflated because their slappers have been getting things done. The slappers have been consistent and been hitting very well, but are often times getting stranded on base.

I am confident they will figure things out; they are a very talented group of women with some great coaches, but it does worry me seeing them struggle this much this late in the season. Given the amount of starters they were returning I figured things would be alot smoother for them right now. But any truely elite team has to go through some rough times to become polished.

[CajunCharlie]

_ I wouldn't say lost and stumbling in the dark. They're still hitting .296 as a team and averaging 8.5 hits per game. They're just not getting some timely hits, right now, and that's a part of baseball/softball. They're also kicking it around on the infield, and that's part of the game also.

Keep in mind this team is still 17-7 and has half a season remaining. I realize the expectations for this program are insane, but come on now.

Michigan, Northwestern, Arizona and Florida State all have seven losses too. I doubt their fan base is panicking right now.

I hate to borrow a Lotiefism, but softball is a marathon. If it were a sprint, WKU would have been named SBC champs last year when they beat the Cajuns two out of three in March.

Remember, last year's Cajun softball team was 21-11 after the WKU series and went on to win 21 of its last 24 games.

Why does this fan base have to always be so negative about its sports teams? _

Finally, someone who makes sense!! If you get the answer to your last sentence/question, please, let me know.

[NewsCopy]

  Louisiana’s Lady Cajuns softball team heads east to Lake Charles to take on in-state rival McNeese State in a single game at Cowgirl Diamond on Thursday at 5:00 p.m.

The Cajuns enter the weekend ranked No. 21 according to the USA Today/NFCA Division I Top 25 Poll. UL is also receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll.

The Lady Cajuns boast a 28-2 (.933) record overall under co-head coaches Stefni and Michael Lotief over the Cowgirls. UL won the first meeting of the season 11-0 at the Louisiana Classics Tournament in Lafayette. The Cajuns have currently won three straight against McNeese State, outscoring the Cowgirls 30-0.

The last time the two teams met in Lake Charles, the Cajuns came away with a 12-0 victory. Transfer Brooke Brodhead, who played her first three seasons at McNeese State, made her return to Lake Charles memorable as she recorded her first home run of the season. Her homer was a line-drive shot off of the scoreboard in left field – one of three home runs on the night for the Cajuns.

Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns softball team dropped their second Sun Belt Conference game of the season as they fell 1-0 to Western Kentucky in nine innings at Alfred and Helen Lamson Ragin’ Cajuns Softball Park on Sunday afternoon.

The Cajuns kept WKU off the scoreboard for eight innings but crucial errors down the stretch proved to be the difference in the ballgame.

Offensively, Louisiana out-hit the Toppers, 9-3, but UL stranded nine batters on base including four runners in scoring position. The Cajuns left runners on base in five of the nine innings and two UL players were thrown out trying to steal.

The Ragin’ Cajuns hit the ball extremely well but were hampered by excellent WKU defense. The Cajuns drove the ball to the outfield 16 times on the afternoon with nothing to show for it, as Western Kentucky recorded 16 fly-ball outs, including a diving catch and several grabs at the wall.

Scouting the Opposition

Rachel King’s seventh inning game winning RBI single scored Whitney Corbello for a 6-5 McNeese State Southland Conference victory over Sam Houston State on Sunday. The victory completed a series sweep for the Cowgirls who defeated the Bearkats 2-0 and 3-0 Saturday. McNeese improved to 17-18 overall and 11-4 in league play.

UL Press

[NewsCopy]

 UL - A lot of athletes struggle with owning up to their imperfections.

Codi Runyan, the senior shortstop for UL's softball team, isn't one of them.

"I'm just down a little bit, but it's going to pick up," Runyan said after Wednesday's practice at Lamson Park. "I've got my team backing me, everybody is backing me, everybody has been there from the jump. It's just a matter of getting focused and getting it done, executing."

Runyan's return from a season off due to a back injury has been filled with peaks and valleys. This past weekend was a valley, as Runyan committed four errors in the No. 21 Cajuns' two 1-0 losses to Western Kentucky.

The rest of the story

Brady Aymond • baymond@theadvertiser.com • March 26, 2009