UL softball: Cajuns fall to Oklahoma, eliminated from WCWS

Chad Washington, The Advertiser, May 31, 2014

OKLAHOMA CITY – UL head softball coach Michael Lotief is a man who has praised how his team has not only won on the field, but how they have great players, students and people.

So it was a typical move that he would take the pressure off of his players after the Ragin’ Cajuns went 0-2 in the NCAA Women’s College World Series, including a tough loss to defending national champion Oklahoma on Saturday.

"We didn’t play our best softball the last couple of times," Lotief said. "I’m not sure it had something to do with the venue, not sure if it had to do with the opponents, not sure if had something to do with the crazy coach. Our kids made us proud and it’s been a magical, phenomenal year."

The Cajuns’ magical ride to the WCWS came to an end as UL could not get the big hit against Oklahoma’s Kelsey Stevens, and lost 3-1 to the Sooners to be eliminated from the tournament.

Stevens, who struggles against UL in a doubleheader loss back on March 15, struck out seven Cajuns and only walked three in her seven innings of work, giving up six hits.

"We changed some things up, but overall, they’re still a good-hitting team," Stevens said.

UL (49-10-1) stranded 10 runners on base and were held to four hits after only getting one hit in Thursday’s game against Kentucky. UL stranded 11 runners on base in the game, seven of them in scoring position.

One big opportunity that the Cajuns missed out on was in the third inning as Natalie Fernandez and Hayley Hayden each got singles and Lexie Elkins was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. But Stevens got Samantha Walsh to strike out and Shellie Landry to ground out to shortstop to end the threat.

Read more: UL bats go silent in Women’s College World Series play

Photo gallery: UL vs. Oklahoma

"Just like the game against Kentucky, it just wasn’t our game," sophomore catcher Lexie Elkins said. "We weren’t mentally or physically altered by anything. It just wasn’t our day."

Then in the fifth, UL got back-to-back hits from Fernandez and Hayden again with no outs. Stevens was able to get Elkins to pop out to second, Walsh to strike out and Landry to ground into a force play as Fernandez was out at third.

"That was a fight," That was an absolute battle," Oklahoma head coach Patty Gasso said. "They had opportunities numerous times, and I’m proud how Kelsey found ways to get out of it."

The Sooners got on the board in the first inning when designated player Brittany Williams hit a 2-RBI double to put OU up 2-0. In the sixth inning, centerfielder Callie Parsons hit a line drive that got past Cajuns’ left fielder Shelbi Redfearn, and Parsons hustled for an inside-the-park home run.

Despite that, junior pitcher Christina Hamilton was able to keep UL in the game. She went seven innings giving up only four hits and two earned runs, walking two and striking out two. But she still picked up the loss, ending her season with a 29-4 record.

The Cajuns end their season with a 49-10-1 record, and are now 6-12 all-time in WCWS play. The loss may sting for a while for the Cajuns, but with only two seniors leaving (Fernandez and Redfearn), the nucleus of the team will return with a lot of learning experiences from this season.

"It’s always tough when your season ends because you dream to hold that trophy," Lotief said. "But when we look back and give perspective, it’s about how we learned and grown throughout the season."