MONROE — Brooke Mitchell tossed a complete-game, one-hit shutout and struck out 12 to help Louisiana bounce back from a loss earlier in the day with a 10-0 mercy-rule softball win over host UL Monroe Sunday in the ULM Mardi Gras Classic.
The Cajuns backed up Mitchell (2-1) with 10 runs off of 10 hits including three home runs.
Danyele Gomez blasted a towering grand slam over the right center field wall in the top of the sixth inning as Louisiana (3-1) broke open a four-run game.
Gomez was 2-for-3 at the plate with five RBI.
Brittany Bryant went 3-for-4 with three RBI. The Beaumont native hit two doubles and a two-run home run — a shot which put the finishing touches on the Cajuns rout of their in-state rival.
Mitchell matched her season-high for strikeouts and increased her tournament total to 33 over three games.
Mitchell had all but sewn up the fifth no-hitter of her career, retiring the first two ULM batters in the bottom of the sixth.
However, ULM’s Heather Hanson laid down a bunt that dug into the ground and spun long enough for her to beat out the throw.
Mitchell fired back on the next batter getting Courtney Tuggle to go down swinging for the final out.
Earlier in the day, Georgia Tech took advantage of a two-out error by Gomez and placed four unearned runs on the board for a 4-1 win over the Cajuns.
The Cajuns opened the scoring in the top half of the second inning when freshman Holly Tankersley belted a 0-2 offering from GT’s Jessica Sallinger over the right field fence for a 1-0 lead.
The home run was Tankersley’s first of her young career and the fourth by the Cajuns in the tournament.
Louisiana ran into trouble in the bottom half of the second with a two-out error by Gomez at third base, prolonging the inning and leading to four unanswered runs by the Yellow Jackets.