Saturday, May 15, 2004

LAFAYETTE - Back-to-back home runs to lead off the contest were a sign of things to come in the 2004 Sun Belt Softball Tournament championship game here Saturday evening at Ragin' Cajuns Softball Park.
Ninth-ranked Louisiana would go on to belt four more home runs, ending with a Sun Belt Tournament-record six, and plated 17 more runs in posting a 19-0 rout of Middle Tennessee to claim the program's fifth straight SBC Tournament championship.

Holly Tankersley and Joy Webre each drove home five runs for the Cajuns (55-6) and the offensive support was more than enough for Brooke Mitchell who struck out eight and held the Lady Raiders (35-23) to three hits.

Tankersley and Danyele Gomez led the hit parade with two home runs apiece. Tankersley's bombs increased her season-leading total to 20 as she tied Gomez's single-season record.

As a team, the Cajuns tied a season-high with 17 hits as six players tallied at least two hits.

The six home runs vaulted the Cajuns to 84 for the season which surpassed the previous record of 79 hit last season.

The win extended the Cajuns win streak to 14 games and tied the 1994 team for the most victories heading into NCAA Regional play. It also kept the Ragin' Cajuns Sun Belt Tournament record undefeated at 16-0.

“It was a total team effort," said head coach Stefni Lotief. "Everybody stepped in and captured the championship moment. We really had a good tournament, and we hope we can carry it over to NCAA Regionals.

Great job Ladies