Cajuns Start Ragin' Cajuns Invitational With Two Wins

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LAFAYETTE - The 16th-ranked Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns softball team opened play in the Ragin’ Cajuns Invitational here on Friday by taking wins over Iowa State and Ole Miss to start tournament play 2-0

Holly Tankersley held ISU to two hits over seven innings and brought home three runs with her first home run of the season as the Cajuns won the opener 6-3.

In the second game freshman Brittany Cuevas struck out nine and the Cajuns (9-1) got timely hits in taking a 3-1 victory over Ole Miss.

Louisiana-Lafayette improved to 8-0 at Alfred and Helen Lamson Ragin’ Cajuns Softball Park this season with the sweep. UL picked up all-time home victories No. 494 and 495.

GAME 1 vs. Iowa State

Back-to-back singles from Codi Runyan and Lacey Bertucci put two runners aboard for Tankersley in the top of the first inning. She unloaded the bases and gave the Cajuns a quick 3-0 lead when she lifted her first home run of the season over the left center field fence.

The lead stayed the same through the sixth inning. Tankersley held the Cyclones with only one hit through six complete.

The Ragin’ Cajuns would break through with three additional runs in the top of the sixth inning to put the game out of reach.

Lana Bowers pinch hit for Tara Hamilton and dropped a single into shallow center field. Karli Hubbard hit into a fielder’s choice grounder at shortstop that forced Bowers out at second base.

Vallie Gaspard then dropped down a bunt moving Hubbard into scoring position. Meagan Godwin then looped a single into center field allowing Hubbard to motor around third and score upping the lead to 4-0. Gaspard moved over to third base on Godwin’s single and scored on a wild pitch from ISU reliever Charissa Carlin making it 5-0.

Godwin moved up to second on Carlin’s wild pitch and would score when Runyan hit a signle into left field scoring Godwin and pushing the advantage to 6-0.

The Cyclones scratched for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning aided by two UL errors.

Tankersley picked up the victory in the circle improving to 4-1. She ended the game with her first scoreless appearance of the season after all three ISU runs were charged to Shari Sigur who subbed in to start the ISU seventh inning.

Game 2 vs. Ole Miss

Cuevas struck out six Ole Miss batters in the first three innings to set the tone for the Cajuns in game two.

A two-out walk to Godwin in the top of the third inning led to the first run of the contest. Godwin then stole second base and scored when Runyan hit a rocket shot off the top of the glove of Ole Miss shortstop Ashley Dowdy.

The Cajuns bats came through with another timely hit in the fourth inning to open a 2-0 lead.

Tankersley led off with a single into left field. Pinch runner Courtney Trahan stole second base to move into scoring position with no outs. After a one-out walk to Bowers, Tara Hamilton lined a single into left field allowing Trahan to score.

Runners were on second and third base with one out. Ole Miss escaped further damage in the inning when Hubbard hit into a fielder’s choice grounder at second base that led to Bowers’ being tagged out at home plate. With Hamilton on third base, Gaspard grounded out to third base to end the threat.

Holding on to a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning, Cuevas worked out a bases loaded jam with two outs by getting Lisa Conchos to pop out at shortstop for the final out.

The Rebels got one run closer in the bottom of the sixth inning when Alyssa McGovern lifted a high fly ball into deep left field that bounced off the top of the fence and back into play for a triple that scored Ashley Dowdy who had reached on a two-out single. Cuevas got another “pressure” out when she forced Lauren Rowe to pop out at second base keeping the Cajuns lead at 2-1.

Yet another timely hit added an insurance run for UL in the seventh inning.

Hubbard began the seventh slapping a triple over the Rebels’ outfield which was playing shallow. Two batters later and a Godwin grounder to shortstop plated Hubbard upping the UL lead to 3-1.

Cuevas struck out Emily Sarver leading off the bottom of the seventh inning. Alise Doubt reached on a fielding error by Bertucci then Cuevas struck out Mary Jane Callahan for the second out. Hubbard then made a catch on the run in right center field to record the final out.

Cuevas had another solid outing in the circle for the Cajuns. Ole Miss got five of their six hits in the fifth and sixth innings and never threatened in any of the other five innings.

Cuevas improved her record to 5-0 after holding the Rebels to six hits over seven innings and striking out nine.

No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette continues play in the Ragin’ Cajuns Invitational on Saturday, Feb. 17 hosting Purdue at 11:30 a.m., and Baylor at 4:30 p.m.