Cajuns Open 2012 Season With Two Wins

UL vs. Rutgers Box Score
UL vs. Tulsa Box Score

The No. 23/24 ranked Ragin' Cajuns softball team made a statement Saturday afternoon in their 2012 season debut in the 26^th Annual Louisiana Classics at Lamson Park. Louisiana (2-0) came away with victories in both of their contests today, defeating Rutgers 15-1, and No. 24 Tulsa 19-4, in front of 1,033 fans in attendance.

The Cajuns received a huge lift from their offense as they averaged 17 runs per game and hit five homeruns.

Christi Orgeron was responsible for two of the round trippers as she ended the day 7-for-8 and drove in 10 runs. Paige Cormier had herself an impressive afternoon hitting safely five times in eight at bats, including three homeruns and five RBI. Brianna Cherry started both games in centerfield and made the most of it, tallying six hits in eight plate appearances and drove in seven runs.

Allie Chenault (1-0) earned the victory in the first game, surrendering one run in three innings and striking out two batters. Freshman Jordan Wallace (1-0) was credited with the win against Tulsa, hurling four innings and fanning six opponents.

GAME ONE

Wallace stood in the circle to open up the Cajuns season, throwing a perfect two innings and striking out three batters.

The squad pounded out 13 hits in a game where eight different Cajuns recorded a hit.

Orgeron had three hits, including a homerun and four runs batted in, while Cherry posted two hits and also drove in four runs. Cormier added UL's only other four bagger in the game, on her way to two base hits and two RBI. Matte Haack drove in three runs in her debut as a Cajun.

Katie Smith scored Louisiana's first run of the year on an RBI bases loaded hit by pitch by Brianna Cherry to give UL a 1-0 lead in the top of the first.

It didn't take long for Haack to make an impact, as she followed up Cherry's RBI with a single through the left side scoring Nerissa Myers and Orgeron. Cherry wound up crossing the plate on the Haack single due to an error committed by Scarlet Knights increasing the Cajun's lead to 4-0.

The bats didn't stop as Orgeron doubled down the line in the top of the second, bringing Myers around for her second run of the game, making the score 5-0. Then Cormier's big day started as she came up with a big two out hit, unloading for a two run homerun to left center for a 9-0 advantage.

Orgeron picked up right where she left off last season, smacking her first homerun of the day, a two run dinger in the top of the third as Louisiana kept their foot on the pedal extending the score to 11-0.

In the fifth inning, Cherry stepped up to the plate with two runners on and tripled to centerfield, tacking on two more runs. Haack picked up her third RBI of the game, grounding out and scoring Cherry for the Ragin' Cajun's 15^th run of the game.

GAME TWO

For the second game of the day, the Cajuns had eight players tally at least one hit and had 18 base knocks as a group.

Wallace tamed the Tulsa hitters for four innings before reigning Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year, Ashley Brignac, came in for relief and pitched a perfect final two innings and struck out two batters to close the door.

Orgeron paced the Cajuns adding her second homerun of the year in route to four hits and six RBI. Cherry hit safely in four out of five plate appearances and drove in three runs. Cormier produced Louisiana's first multi-homerun game of the year, connecting on her second and third long balls of the season as she finished with three hits and three RBI. Preseason All-Sun Belt team member, Sarah Draheim, added a hit and drove in her first three runs of the year.

UL got off to another quick start in the top of the first as Orgeron walked up to the plate with Myers aboard and took a pitch over the left centerfield wall. Cormier stepped in three batters later with Cherry standing on first base and tagged a pitch over the right center fence as the Cajuns jumped out to a 4-0 lead.

With Orgeron standing on second and Myers on third, Louisiana successfully completed a double steal and the speedy shortstop, Myers, was awarded of stealing home to give UL a 6-0 lead in the second frame.

The Ragin' Cajuns tacked on their seventh run of the game in the third inning on a sacrifice fly from Draheim, scoring Cherry.

Tulsa wasn't ready to call it quits just yet. In the bottom half of the third, the Golden Hurricane's Samantha Cobb homered to left field cutting the score to 7-2.

UT held Louisiana scoreless in the top half of the fourth and added two unearned runs in the bottom half on a dropped fly ball by Cherry, bringing Tulsa within striking distance at 7-4.

UL gained an insurance run in the fifth as Cormier sent another pitch into the right center bleachers, giving her three on the day and making it an 8-4 advantage.

The Cajuns used an 11 run top half of the sixth to put the game out of reach for good. In the inning the team had 13 players reach base and combined for 11 hits, all of which were singles

Louisiana will challenge Mississippi Valley State on Sunday at Lamson Park to conclude the 26^th Annual Louisiana Classics. The first pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

-- Ragin' Cajuns --.

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Team Stats

Christi Orgeron

Brianna Cherry

Paige Cormier

Natalie Fernandez

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