MONROE,
La. - ULM smashed Indiana State 9-0 in six innings to win the Mardi Gras
Classic Championship Sunday afternoon at the Warhawk Softball Complex.
The
Warhawks finished with a 5-1 record in the three-day tournament with their only
loss coming, 1-0, to Eastern Illinois earlier in the day. Sophomore Janel
Salanoa earned tournament MVP honors with a .368 batting average, a home run
and eight RBIs during the six games. Senior Briana Love, freshman Miyuki
Navarrette and junior Tiffany Mills were also named to the all-tournament team
for the Warhawks.
Against
Indiana State, the Warhawks broke open a 1-0 game with four runs in the fifth
and four more in the sixth inning to earn the run-rule victory. Junior Roxane
Cassel had the big blow in the fifth inning with a single up the middle that
scored three runs after the centerfielder misplayed the ball. Cassel would score the fourth run of the
inning on a passed ball by the Indiana State catcher.
In the
sixth, Salanoa doubled home two runs to give the Warhawks a 7-0 advantage. Freshman
Regina Ayala ended the game with a two-run single down the leftfield line.
Mills
went the distance for the Warhawks in the circle with six scoreless innings to
move to 3-0 on the season.
ULM
managed just four hits in its first game of the day against Eastern Illinois.
Amber May pitched a complete game with nine strikeouts to help the Panthers to
the victory. Freshman Stephanie Routzon (1-1) was solid in the circle for the
Warhawks, giving up just the one run in six innings of work.
Eastern
Illinois scored its only run of the game in the first inning on an RBI single
from Kiley Holtz.
The
Warhawks travel to the New Mexico State Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M. next
weekend beginning with games against Sam Houston State and host New Mexico
State Friday, Feb. 18.
Mardi Gras Classic All-Tournament Team
MVP -
Janel Salanoa, ULM
Briana
Love, ULM
Miyuki
Navarrette, ULM
Tiffany
Mills, ULM
Kylie
Roos, Northwestern State
Cheyenne
DelaGarza-Stills, Northwestern State
Alyssa
Ford, Northwestern State
Amber
May, Eastern Illinois
Reynae Hutchinson, Eastern Illinois
Lindsay
Beisser, Indiana State
Alex
Baumgart, Indiana State
Carmen
Fowler, Southeast Missouri State
Evan
Sallis, Southeast Missouri State
