Bertucci's Homer in Seventh Inning Carries Cajuns to Win Over FAU In Series Opener

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BOCA RATON, Fla. - A seventh-inning rally lifted the 15th-ranked Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns softball team to a 3-2 victory over Florida Atlantic here Saturday evening in the opener of a three-game Sun Belt Conference series.

For 6 2/3 innings, FAU starting pitcher Jen Musillo was able to keep the Cajuns off the scoreboard. Senior first baseman Lacey Bertucci changed all of that with one mighty swing in the top of the seventh inning and UL down to its final out. 

With two outs in the top half of the inning and the Cajuns (22-6, 2-2 SBC) trailing 2-0, Bertucci stepped to the plate with runners at second and third and delivered a 1-1 offering from Musillo over the centerfield wall to give the Cajuns their first lead of the game at 3-2. 

Musillo hit Vallie Gaspard with a pitch to lead off the top half of the seventh and Karli Hubbard followed with a single to left field.  Gaspard was retired at third on a Codi Runyan fielder's choice and Holly Tankersley grounded out to third for the second out leaving the Cajuns with only one chance to avoid a three-game losing streak.

With two outs Hubbard advanced to third on a wild pitch and Shari Sigur, who entered the game as a pinch runner for Runyan, advanced to second. Both scored ahead of Bertucci on the three-run shot

Cajuns starting pitcher Brittany Cuevas struck out FAU's Lauren Crandall with two outs in the bottom of the seventh with runners on second and third.  Mandi Fishback and Amy Bukovich had both singled earlier in the inning and advanced to second and third on a fielder's choice. 

Cuevas' strikeout of Crandall in the bottom of the seventh was her ninth of the game.  Cuevas scattered eight FAU hits en route to her 13th win of the season, improving her season record to 13-3.  Musillo dropped to 4-4.

The Cajuns failed to score in the top half of the first inning, after loading the bases on a Tankersley single to right centerfield, a Bertucci single down the right field line and a walk issued to Melissa Verde.

Tankersley's single extended her hitting streak to 12 games.

FAU (13-8, 0-1 SBC) struck for a single run in the bottom half of the inning as Jenna Lopez led off with triple to the centerfield wall and scored on a slap single to left from Ambar Jones.  The Owls led 1-0 at the end of the first inning.

The Owls threatened again in the bottom half of the third inning, placing runners at second and third with one out. However, Cajun starting pitcher Brittany Cuevas struck out the next two FAU hitters and the score remained 1-0 in favor of Florida Atlantic at the end of the fourth inning.

FAU added a single run in the bottom half of the fifth inning as the Owls loaded the bases with one out.  Crandall's sacrifice fly to right field plated Jones who had earlier singled in the inning and at the end of the fifth, the Owls led 2-0.

The Cajuns were led offensively with two hits each from Bertucci and Hubbard.

The game marked the first meeting between the two schools as members of the Sun Belt Conference. The Owls, previously members of the Atlantic Sun Conference, are in their first tour of duty in the Sun Belt this season.