LAFAYETTE, La. – The No. 6 seed UL Monroe eliminated a team for the third time during the 2014 Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship with an 8-1 rout of No. 4 Seed WKU on Friday morning at Lamson Park.
No. 6 seed UL Monroe (25-26) entered the home half of the fourth inning trailing 1-0 before sophomore Faith Bohack rocketed a two-out, two-run home run over the left field fence to put the Warhawks on top 2-1. The home run plated junior Alexis Cacioppo who slapped a double to right field with one out.
UL Monroe took the 2-1 lead into the fifth inning where it put the game out of reach with four runs. Sophomore Amye Barre started the inning off with a double into the right-center field gap. Junior pinch runner Mackenzie Miller advanced to third on a single and then scored on a fielder's choice, evading a tag at home plate to score the run. The Warhawks scored another run off a WKU error in the inning.
Later UL Monroe loaded the bases before freshman Hollie Letourneau slapped a RBI single to left. Bohack grounded into a fielder's choice to score the final run of the four-run inning.
Freshman India Steward led WKU (33-24-1) at the plate with two hits while junior Preslie Cruce had a trio of walks and was hit by pitch to reach in each of her plate appearances.
WKU took the first lead of the game with a lone run in the top third. Steward led off with a single before Cruce was hit by pitch for the 24th time this season. A fielder’s choice left third base open for junior Shawna Sadler to load the bases with a walk. Sophomore Brooke Holloway was then walked with two outs to bring in Cruce.
The Warhawks added a couple insurance runs in the sixth inning on a two-out single by Roberts which scored a pair. The single scored sophomore Courtney Dutreix and Navarrete from second and third. Dutreix reached on a fielder’s choice and Navarrete on a walk. The duo moved up a base after a wild pitch.
UL Monroe's Samantha Hamby (17-16) earned the win in the circle after tossing a complete-game. She struck out a pair and allowed just one earned run. WKU senior Emily Rousseau (18-18) recorded the loss for WKU after surrendering seven hits and four earned runs in 4.1 innings.
The Warhawks have now won three games in the Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship for the first time since 2008 when they advanced to the championship game.
UL Monroe will take the field again no earlier than 5:00 p.m. today in the Softball Championship semifinals and will face the loser of No. 1 seed UL Lafayette and No. 2 seed South Alabama.