Softball – Perfect weekend: Haack, Wallace shine in UL softball two wins on Sunday + photo gallery

Kevin Foote, Daily Advertiser, Feb. 20, 2012

Athletic Network Footnote: Please click here for the 43 picture photo gallery by Brad Kemp.

There are certainly two UL Ragin’ Cajun softball players breathing a little easier after this past weekend’s Mardi Gras Invitational title at Lamson Park.

Team-wise, very little changed about the bottom line. The Cajuns swept their second straight weekend tournament, finishing it up with wins of 9-0 over Louisiana Tech and then 10-0 over Northwestern State on Sunday.

Two individuals on that team, however, will be carrying a lighter load on their shoulders heading into Mardi Gras day.

First, there’s Matte Haack.

Her opening weekend as a Cajun didn’t go as planned after transferring from Arizona. She entered this tournament hitting .167 with no extra base hits and four RBIs.

Statistically, things didn’t get much better in Friday’s two games, going 2-for-6 with an RBI. Haack and her coaches, though, felt better with most of those outs being hard-hit balls at defenders.

"You can’t do anything about that," Haack said. "All I was focused on was having quality at-bats."

On Sunday, Haack got both. In the win over Louisiana Tech, she was 2-for-3 with her first homer as a Cajun and three RBIs. In the nightcap, she was 1-for-3 with a three-run homer.

"I had a lot of nerves last weekend," Haack said. "I was trying to fit into my role on the team and I just didn’t have quality at-bats. I worked hard all week on my swing and made some adjustments.

"Today definitely helped my confidence. I have to be confident at the plate."

Despite her roller coaster first two weekends, though, Haack has already fallen in love with the UL fans and the atmosphere at Lamson Park.

"I didn’t expect that," she said. "The fans are so loud and into the game. It’s definitely a homefield advantage. They’re so uplifting. They’re really behind the players. They’re great."

Plus, showing Haack is really getting used to South Louisiana already, she added, "And the food is great after the games."

Then there’s freshman pitcher Jordan Wallace.

The numbers a week ago may not have looked bad at all. She was 1-0 with a 2.33 ERA, allowing two hits, five walks and striking out nine in six innings.

"I was just getting used to it last week," Wallace said. "It was definitely different than the fall. You go through the fall, but this is what’s real. This is what you’ve been working for."I didn’t let the thing about pitching in a big-time game get to me this weekend. Against Tulsa, they were ranked just one spot behind us, so I was thinking that I’ve got to be on my game or we’re going to lose. That just messed me up."

That didn’t happen this weekend. She started the weekend with a three-inning, one-run win over UTEP on Friday and then encored that with her first collegiate no-hitter in the 9-0 win over Louisiana Tech.

She only walked one in that gem with seven strikeouts.

"I threw more first-pitch strikes (this weekend)," Wallace said. "I worked on going right at the hitter and not being afraid.

"I also worked on a drop-curve during the week and my screwball was working pretty well. Having that extra pitch worked well."

Of course, Haack and Wallace certainly weren’t the only stars of the weekend for the Cajuns. Old reliable Christi Orgeron nailed down her second straight tournament MVP award. In Sunday’s two wins, Orgeron was 2-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs in the first game and 3-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs to give her 27 RBIs already for the season.

UL got four runs in the third inning of game one Sunday, highlighted by Haack’s two-run single and followed that with a five-run sixth, including Orgeron’s second grand slam of the season.

In the second game, Paige Cormier matched Orgeron with her sixth homer of the season — a two-run homer in the first. Then after Nerissa Myers walked in the bases loaded in the second, Orgeron delivered a two-run triple to highlight that five-run frame.

Haack would later add a three-run homer in the sixth to make it a run-rule game.

Ashley Brignac was the recipient of all of those runs in the nightcap, throwing a three-hit shutout with no walks and nine strikeouts.

"I thought Ashley was on," UL co-head coach Michael Lotief said. "She’s using three pitches. She’s keeping hitters from getting good swings."