University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Softball To Compete In Ragin' Cajun Classic
2/16/2006 12:00:00 AM | Softball
Feb. 16, 2006
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -
Southern Miss At The Ragin' Cajun Classic Notes
The Southern Miss softball team continues its 2006 season this weekend, as it travels to Lafayette, La., to compete in the Louisiana-Lafayette hosted Ragin' Cajun Classic.
Live stats will be availabe on Louisiana-Lafayette's web site at http://www.louisiana.edu/softball and the game can also be heard, with Jared Florreich providing the play-by-play action, by logging on to SouthernMiss.com.
Southern Miss, fresh off its first victory of the 2006 season, an 8-0 run-rule victory over Jackson State that saw Lacey Gros and Shea Naramore combine for a no-hitter, stands 1-6 on the season. The Lady Eagles opened their season in Honolulu, Hawaii, but dropped all six games there.
The team will face Chattanooga and No. 16 Louisiana-Lafayette on Friday, at 1:30 and 7 p.m., respectively. On Saturday, Southern Miss faces McNeese State at 11 a.m., and Louisiana-Lafayette at 4:30 p.m., before closing the tournament against Chattanooga and McNeese State at 10 a.m., and 3 p.m., respectively on Sunday.
Southern Miss is 2-1 all-time against Chattanooga. The two schools met for the first time in the 1999 season, with Southern Miss claiming a 5-1 victory. The two teams split two games in the 2003 season, with Chattanooga claiming a 5-1 victory, before Southern Miss won 6-5.
The Lady Eagles own a 18-4 all-time record against McNeese State and have won nine of the past 10 meetings, including a 4-3 and 11-4 doubleheader sweep in Lake Charles, La., last season.
Against Louisiana-Lafayette, Southern Miss owns a 3-29 record. The two schools have not met since the 2003 season.
Southern Miss is hitting .210 as a team, with 34 hits, five doubles, one home run, 11 RBI, 10 stolen bases and 10 walks.
Freshman Nicole Fontenot leads Southern Miss with a .364 batting average and three RBI on the year. She connected on her first career home run, a two-run shot against Jackson State on Wednesday, also connecting on a RBI double in the game.
Senior Charity Butler has a team-high six hits on the season, while Ashley Brenan and Allison Bullard each have five hits. Brenan leads the team with four stolen bases and four walks.
In the circle, the team boasts a 3.91 ERA, with 39 strikeouts and opponents have hit .261 against the staff thus far in 2006.
Freshman Lacey Gros leads the team with a 2.15 ERA and 1-3 record, recording 32 strikeouts in 26 innings of work. Opponents are hitting just .183 against her this season. Gros pitched five innings of no-hit ball against Jackson State on Wednesday, posting 11 strikeouts in the contest. She was the team's opening day starter against No. 25 BYU, netting eight strikeouts in that game.
Chattanooga enters the tournament with an 0-2 record, dropping two games to No. 24 Georgia Tech on Wednesday. The Mocs are hitting .120 as a team, with six hits, three runs, one home run and three RBI.
Carey Grant leads the squad with a .333 batting average, while Toni Hutchinson has one home run on the season.
In the circle, the staff has a 5.14 ERA, allowing 20 hits in 14 innings pitched. JayCee Wood and Ashley Frizzell each have a 5.1 ERA on the season.
McNeese State also enters the Ragin' Cajun Classic with an 0-2 record, dropping two games to Houston on Wednesday.
The Cowgirls are hitting .220 as a team, with 13 hits, four runs, one home runs and three RBI.
Christina Allen and Jessica Denham each have four hits on the season, while Rachel Phillips has a home run and team-best two RBI.
In the circle, the team has a 4.40 ERA, allowing 13 hits and seven earned runs in 14.1 innings pitched. Denham has a staff best 4.32 ERA on the season.
Tournament host Louisiana-Lafayette enters the weekend with a 5-0 record and No. 16 national ranking. The Ragin' Cajuns hit .389 as a team, with 61 hits, 55 runs, 17 doubles, seven home runs, 50 RBI, 21 walks and four stolen bases.
Karli Hubbard leads the squad with a .636 batting average, while Danyele Gomez, a NFCA Third-Team All-American in 2005, leads Louisiana-Lafayette with 10 runs, nine hits and four doubles. Lacey Bertucci has a team-high nine RBI on the season.
In the circle, the team has a 0.23 ERA, striking out 35 in 30 innings of work.
Krystal Lewallen has a 0.00 ERA and 3-0 record, and has allowed eight hits and no runs on the season. She has 21 strikeouts on the season. Ashley Kirchberg has a 0.54 ERA and 2-0 record, and has allowed one run and seven hits on the season, with 14 strikeouts.
Following the Ragin' Cajun Classic, Southern Miss returns home to face No. 6 Alabama on Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m., at the Southern Miss Softball Complex.
