Sun Belt Softball: #1 Louisiana 7, #8 Florida Atlantic 1

Nerissa Myers homered and drove in five runs to lead the #6 ranked and top seeded Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns to a 7-1 first round victory over eighth seeded and host Florida Atlantic Wednesday night in the Sun Belt Conferernce softball tournament in Boca Raton, FL.

Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year Ashley Brignac (20-2) carried a two hit shutout into the seventh inning before giving up a run on a double, single and wild pitch.  By that time, the Cajuns were comfortably in front.  Brignac did not walk a batter and struck out seven.

The game was scoreless entering the bottom of the third inning, but the Cajuns (47-3) struck for two runs, with Myers' double scoring Natalie Fernandez and Erikka Murphy to give Louisiana a 2-0 lead.

Louisiana made it 4-0 in the fourth off losing pitcher Taylor Fawbush (6-17) when Paige Cormier tripled to knock in one run, and Murphy's singled to deliver Cormier.  Myers then hit a three run homer, her 11th of the season to score Fernandez and Katie Smith, who led off the inning with singles.

Brignac, meanwhile, allowed a two-out single to Heather Barnes in the first inning, then retired fifteen consecutive batters before a two out single by Whitley Herb.  Then in the seventh with one out, Jordan Stovall doubled and Stephanie Call singled to put runners at the corners before Brignac uncorked a wild pitch allowing the only Owls' (15-38) only run to score.

Louisiana advances in the winners' bracket to meet fifth seeded Western Kentucky, a 3-1 winner over North Texas in a game scheduled to begin at 5:30 CT.  FAU meets the Mean Freen in an elimination game at 12:30.