LAFAYETTE, La. – The outstanding run at the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Championships came to a close in the semi-finals for the ULM softball program as it dropped a 14-6 tilt to top-seeded and 12th-ranked UL-Lafayette on Friday at Lamson Park.
ULM (25-27), the sixth-seed, scored five runs in a huge second inning. It trailed 2-0 heading into the frame and a big three-run homer by All-Conference Second-Team selection Miyuki Navarrete gave the Warhawks a 5-2 advantage. Her leftfield blast plated Courtney Dutreix and Amye Barre.
The inning started with a perfectly placed bunt single by Faith Bohack. She moved to second when Vanessa Garcia reached on a fielder's choice. Barre came through with an RBI single to leftfield to plate Bohack. Courtney Dutreix's clutch two-out hit down the leftfield line brought in another run to keep the inning going for Navarrete.
Barre reached base in all four of her at-bats as she finished two-for-two with a walk and a hit-by-pitch.
The Cajuns (43-8-1) got one back in the third inning on a sacrifice fly from Sara Corbello to make it a 5-3 game. UL-L tied it in its next at-bat on a two-run home run from Lexie Elkins.
Still tied 5-5 in the sixth inning, UL-L's Samantha Walsh hit a two-out grand slam over the leftfield wall to put the Cajuns ahead, 9-5. UL-L added on five more in the seventh inning.
The Warhawks posted their final run in the bottom of the seventh on an RBI single to rightfield by Molly Mackey. Holly Letourneau walked, and after Dupuis came in to pitch-run, she advanced to second on a groundout.
Melanie Coyne (4-4) took the loss after tossing 5.0 innings and striking out a pair. Samantha Hamby started the game and pitched the first frame, tallying a strikeout. Jessica Colliver came in relief and recorded three outs in the seventh inning.
Victoria Brown (6-1) picked up the win for the Cajuns after pitching a complete-game. She struck out seven.
ULM finished in the final three in the tournament in a league ranked fourth in the country in conference RPI. All three of the other programs in the four-team, double-elimination field reached NCAA Regionals last season and the two remaining, UL-L and South Alabama, are both nationally ranked.
The Warhawks earned a spot among the final three after ousting seventh-seeded Troy, fourth-seeded WKU and third-seeded Georgia State. ULM, which was picked last in the 2014 Preseason Poll, won three games at the conference tournament for the first time since 2008.
