DENTON, Texas ? Kandace Causey pitched a complete game shutout and Molly McNeill gave the ULM softball team the only run it would need in a 1-0 upset of No. 22 Louisiana-Lafayette in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Lovelace Stadium in Denton, Texas, on Wednesday afternoon.
ULM (17-33) becomes only the second team in the nine-year history of the Sun Belt's championship tournament to enter as an eight seed and knock off the top seed in the opening round of play. The loss also marked the third loss for Louisiana-Lafayette (38-11) all-time in the league tournament and first since being eliminated in 2007.
The 2007 season also marked the only other time the eighth-seed knocked off the tournament's top seed, a 12-8 win by Florida International over Florida Atlantic in 15 innings.
“We just got finished playing ULL a few days ago, so we had a little bit of time to get our stuff together and be prepared for what we knew we were going to face,” ULM head coach Rosemary Holloway-Hill said. “ULL has an outstanding team, but our kids found a way to win today. One run doesn't always win games, but the big home run by Molly did today.”
Causey (W, 11-17) stranded nine Ragin' Cajun base runners and was able to pitch her way out of jams with a solid defensive performance behind her while she waited on the Warhawk bats to come alive. For the Denham Springs, La., native, the win against ULL marks the third time in as many seasons that she has downed the perennial national power.
After being retired in order through the first four innings, the Warhawks were able to break into the hit column in the fifth against the league's Pitcher of the Year, Donna Bourgeois (L, 26-8). Megan Miller gave ULM its first hit of the game with a screaming liner off the glove of Bourgeois.
With no outs, McNeill fouled off back-to-back bunt attempts before pinch runner Elyse Stark was thrown out on a steal attempt. One pitch later, McNeill connected on her fifth home run of the campaign to give the Warhawks the 1-0 lead.
For McNeill, the homer came one year after the sophomore connected on a game-winning homer against Florida Atlantic in the 2008 tournament's opening round.
Causey would make the one-run lead hold up. Louisiana-Lafayette saw two runners stranded in the bottom half of the fifth, lined into an inning-ending double play in the sixth, and stranded a final runner in the seventh by the Warhawk hurler.
“Kandace was just awesome today,” Holloway-Hill said. “She was definitely on her ?A' game and was able to out-duel one of the premier pitchers in our league. She got great defensive plays behind her and has always pitched well on this stage.”
ULM will be back in action Thursday in the second day of the Sun Belt Conference tournament when it faces Florida International at 3 p.m., at Lovelace Stadium. The fourth-seeded Golden Panthers downed host North Texas 8-0 in the opening game of play on Wednesday.
