Softball: Cajuns take another Sun Belt title

Softball: Cajuns Take Another Sun Belt Tournament Title

Softball: Cajuns Take Another Sun Belt Tournament Title

Matt Hebert, Sports Information –

Danyele Gomez’s two-run home run and Brooke Mitchell’s one-hitter carry
No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette to a 2-1 win over Western Kentucky

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns softball team remains the
only champion that the Sun Belt Conference has ever known both in
regular season and postseason play.

Senior All-American pitcher Brooke Mitchell made her first start since
May 1 and held Western Kentucky to only one hit while junior right
fielder Danyele Gomez clubbed her 19th home run of the season in leading
No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette to a 2-1 victory in the championship game of
the 2005 Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

The win was the Ragin’ Cajuns (50-8) 10th straight since a 3-2 loss to
WKU on April 30 and secured the program’s sixth consecutive SBC
Tournament title. The Cajuns improved to 19-0 all-time in SBC Tournament
action and have now won the event each year since its inception in 2000.

Louisiana-Lafayette picked up its fourth 50-win season in the last five
years with the victory.

Mitchell struck out eight batters and if not for a home run by WKU’s
Alana Towns would have been nearly perfect. The victory improved
Mitchell to 27-7 on the season while the eight strikeouts pushed her
past 1,300 in her career.

Adrienne Lathrop took the loss for WKU (33-24) allowing two runs on
three hits while striking out five.

Lathrop was making her second start of the day and the beginning of the
game was similar to that of when she pitched a second game against the
Cajuns on May 1 in the regular season series. Like that day, the Cajuns
needed only two at bats to post a quick lead.

Jill Robertson led off with an infield single to shortstop. Gomez plated
the senior center fielder with a home run over the center field wall for
a 2-0 lead.

That would be all of the run support that Mitchell would need. The only
flaw in her lone appearance of the tournament was allowing a solo home
run to Towns in the third inning.

The Cajuns used a stellar defensive play from Brittany Bryant in the
fifth inning to ensure that the contest wouldn’t go into extra innings
or the WKU might take the lead.

Mitchell issued a leadoff walk to Renikka Toliver and then hit Natasha
Sevco to put two runners on with no outs. Towns grounded into a
fielder’s choice to Bryant at second base for the first out to give WKU
runners on the corner.

Renita Pennington then shoved a grounder under the glove of Mitchell
which rolled to Bryant. Bryant had to go to her knees to stop the
grounder from reaching the outfield and then made a throw from her knees
to catcher Joy Webre to tag out Toliver attempting to score.

Mitchell finished off the Hilltoppers final threat by striking out
Shelly Floyd for the third time in the contest.

Mitchell retired the final six WKU batters in the sixth and seventh
innings combined to complete the victory.

No. 14 Louisiana-Lafayette will now turn its attention to the 2005 NCAA
Regionals which begin on Friday, May 20. The Cajuns will learn of their
NCAA assignment on Sunday, May 15 in a 6:30 p.m. selection show being
aired on ESPNews. The team will be gathering at Pete’s on Johnston
Street. The public is invited to attend and mingle with the Ragin’
Cajuns players and coaching staff. The team is scheduled to arrive at
Pete’s at 6 p.m.

LINE SCORE
———-
Louisiana-Lafayette 2, Western Kentucky 1 (May 14, 2005 at Bowling
Green, Ky.)
———————————————————————-
Louisiana-Lafayette. 200 000 0 – 2 3 1 (50-8)
Western Kentucky…. 001 000 0 – 1 1 0 (33-24)
———————————————————————-
Pitchers: Louisiana-Lafayette – Mitchell. Western Kentucky – Lathrop.
Win-Mitchell(27-7) Loss-Lathrop(21-12) T-1:54 A-141
HR UL – Gomez.
HR WKU – Towns.

Game notes:
***Championship game of 2005 Sun Belt Conference Tournament

***Brooke Mitchell’s first start since Sunday, May 1 at WKU (W, 5-3)

****Cajuns improve to 19-0 all-time in SBC Tournament play

***Win clinches the Cajuns fourth 50-win season in the last five seasons
and seventh in program history.

***Heather Bobbitt named Most Outstanding Player of the 2005 Sun Belt
Tournament.

Posted May 14, 2005