UL
 
Presley Askew Field
 
NMSU
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# 8 Louisiana pounds out 10 hits in 7-2 victory
 
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LAdy Cajuns 0 3 0 0 2 2 0 7
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Aggies 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
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LAS CRUCES, N.M. - No. 8 Louisiana racked up 10 hits and got another strong pitching effort from junior ace hurler Brooke Mitchell in posting a 7-2 Sun Belt Conference-opening victory over New Mexico State here Saturday afternoon at Presley Askew Field.

Hillary Guidry, Crystal George and Tiffany Hebert each picked up two hits to lead the Ragin' Cajuns offensive attack. Hebert along with Ashley Evans each had two RBI.

Mitchell fanned eight Aggie hitters through five innings and surrendered just one hit. Heather Bobbitt relieved Mitchell in the sixth and held NMSU to two hits and two unearned runs.

The win improved the Cajuns (33-4, 1-0 Sun Belt) to 4-0 all-time in Sun Belt openers and extended the team's win streak to five games.

Mitchell collected her 27th win of the season, setting a new personal single-season best and improving her record to 27-3. The 2004 USA Softball Player of the Year Award finalist extended her streak of innings without an earned run allowed 16 2/3 innings.

The Lady Cajuns opened the scoring in the top of the second when junior shortstop Tiffany Hebert laced a two-RBI single into left field to give UL a 2-0 lead.

Louisiana benefited from the leadoff batter reaching base for the second straight inning.

Brittany Bryant drew a leadoff walk and later stole second with Crystal George at bat. George singled into shallow right field to give the Cajuns runners on the corners with no outs.

Two batters later, Hebert ripped the run scoring single as the Cajuns jumped out on top first.

Hillary Guidry picked up her second hit of the contest on the next at bat when she lifted a double into the left center field gap that scored Hebert for a 3-0 advantage.

Aggie pitcher Jennifer Bride kept the Cajuns at bay through four innings after she stranded two runners in the top of the fourth.

Evans hit her fourth home run of the season in the fifth inning, a two-run blast deep over the left field wall to increase the lead to 5-0.

The home run chased Bride from the game. Reliever Stephanie Carrasco got the final two outs of the inning.

Louisiana tacked on two more runs in the sixth, to put the game out of reach, getting an RBI double from Holly Tankersley and an RBI single from Danyele Gomez.

The Aggies pushed across two unearned runs when a Christine Collins throwing error on a force play at second base allowed NMSU to prolong the bottom half of the seventh.

LOUISIANA SI