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Sunday, April 20, 2003
FIU sweeps 20th-ranked Ragin'
Cajuns
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Florida International pitching staff held Louisiana-Lafayette
to one run while the FIU lineup pounded out 18 hits as the Golden
Panthers defeated the 20th-ranked Ragin' Cajuns (2-2, 0-1) in
a Sun Belt Conference doubleheader on Sunday in Miami. Sunday's
results mark the first time that ULL has been swept in a SBC
doubleheader and the first time since Feb. 14, 2001, that the
Ragin' Cajuns have lost both games of a twinbill.
FIU hurlers Kendra Laminack (10-9), Amanda Nealer (17-7) and
Nicole Barrett combined to strike out 12 batters and allow no
extra-base hits. Kristen Perry batted 5-for-6 with three doubles
while Jennifer Owens went 4-for-6 with a double, two RBI and
a run scored.
FIU now has five victories over ranked teams this season and
improved its record to 30-22, 6-2. ULL drops to 33-7, 10-2.
FIU closes out the home portion of its schedule next weekend
when the Golden Panthers host Western Kentucky in a Sun Belt
Conference series. The teams will play doubleheaders beginning
at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
GAME ONE
FIU pitcher Kendra Laminack struck out six batters and Nicole
Barrett allowed one hit in relief as the Golden Panthers silenced
the bats of the normally potent Ragin' Cajun hitters en rout
to a 2-0 shut out of No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette.
FIU got on the board in the first inning. Nicole Dubovik singled
to left with one out. She then stole second base as Jennifer
Owens swung and missed on strike three. Cindy Turek knocked a
single to right field, scoring Dubovik from second. Dubovik's
stolen base gave her 30 swipes on the season, tying her own single-season
record which she established in 2002.
The Golden Panthers added an insurance run in the fifth. With
one out, Stephanie Wolter reached first base on an error by Cajun
second baseman Tiffany Hebert. Dubovik moved her over to second
on sacrifice bunt followed by a Jennifer Owens single to left
center which scored Wolter.
It was Laminack's (10-9) first victory over a ranked team
this season and gave her 20 victories in her career. Barrett
picked up her eighth save.
UL-Lafayette starter Brooke Mitchell (15-5) went the distance,
striking out nine batters in six innings pitched.
GAME TWO
Cindy Turek's fifth-inning double lifted FIU over No. 20 Louisiana-Lafayette,
2-1, and gave the Golden Panthers their first-ever doubleheader
sweep of the Ragin' Cajuns.
FIU hurler Amanda Nealer fanned six batters and held ULL to
four hits in six and one-thirds innings to earn her fourth victory
over a ranked-team this season.
Both teams failed to convert with runners early in the contest.
The Cajuns loaded the bases in the second, but Nealer got Cajun
pinch hitter Brittany Bryant to swing on a pitch with the count
at 2-2, keeping the teams knotted in a scoreless tie.
FIU threatened in the second, third and fourth but could not
get runners home, stranding two in each of those innings.
ULL opened the scoring in the fifth when Jill Robertson grounded
out to third base to score Natalie Hamby from third.
FIU came back in the home half of the fifth. Stephanie Wolter
hammered a double to left center to lead off the inning. Dubovik
moved her over on a sacrifice bunt to third base. Jennifer Owens
brought Wolter home with a single to center field. Cindy Turek
then followed that with a left field double as Owens came across
home plate with the winning run.
Nealer would strike out two of the next five batters before
FIU Head Coach Kim Gwydir brought in Barrett. Barrett then got
a ground out and a fly out to pick up her ninth save of the season.
Nealer improved to 17-7 on the season while Thoms dropped
to 10-2. |