LOUISIANA La. - After managing just three runs in the last 15 innings, the No. 5 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns found their bats, much to the dismay of the Boilermaker softball team. UL dealt Purdue a 15-5 loss to take the Louisiana Classic tournament title, despite a fifth-inning charge led by DaQueta Johnson's second-career grand slam.
The Ragin' Cajuns loaded the bases to start the game as Jill Robertson and Danyele Gomez singled, then Brittany Bryant followed with a walk. Joy Webre scored two and moved Bryant to second with a single to center field. Lacey Bertucci filled the bases once again with another walk. Sophomore Brooke Baker (Schererville, Ind.) entered the game to try to get the Boilermakers out of the jam. A wild pitch turned out to be a blessing in disguise as Purdue caught Bryant trying to score with a run down. The next two batters grounded out to prevent any further damage.
The Boilermakers got one run back in the bottom of the first on a hit and an error. Senior Shelli Messer (Greenfield, Ind.) reached on a fielding error by the third baseman to kick off the inning for Purdue. Junior Staci Falzon (Carlsbad, Calif.) sent a hit deep into left center for a single, scoring Messer from first. Sophomore DaQueta Johnson (Ontario, Calif.) walked to put two on, but a pop-up and a ground ball left them stranded.
Purdue put two on again in the second as redshirt junior Kristen Schell (San Diego, Calif.) reached on a throwing error by the UL third baseman. Senior Katie Absher (Puyallup, Wash.) pushed pinch runner Ashley Hall (Noblesville, Ind.) to second as she singled to short. A pop-up and ground ball again stopped the Boilermakers from converting.