No. 1 seed Louisiana-Lafayette easily handled No. 8 seed Middle Tennessee 10-3 in the Day 1 nightcap of the 2011 Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship at Lamson Park on the campus of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette on Wednesday.

The Cajuns (46-9) offense tallied six RBI off nine hits on the night. Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Christi Orgeron led the Cajuns offensively, batting in two RBI off three hits at a .424 clip. The junior leads the nation in RBI with 86.

Middle Tennessee (18-32) scored first in the top of the second off a RBI-double from Kristi Marquez, but the Cajuns answered back with five runs of their own to move ahead 5-1. Sarah Draheim brought in two with a home run over the left center wall, followed by a two-RBI double from Christi Orgeron and another RBI from Gabriele Bridges.

The Blue Raiders started to chip into the Cajuns' lead after Christina Hamilton allowed an unearned run in the third. Shelbee Rodgers relieved Hamilton in the circle in the top of the fourth but Nina Davenport drove in another run for MT with a RBI-single.

Nerissa Myers drove in four runs in the fifth, three unearned, when she scored off a fielding error by right fielder Corrie Abel.

Rodgers (8-2) was credited with the win in the circle after not allowing a run and striking out one.

Robinson (6-14) recorded the loss for the Blue Raiders.

Louisiana-Lafayette advances in the winner's bracket to face No. 5 seed Troy in game eight Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Middle Tennessee will play FIU at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in game six.




Permalink| Comments