Troy, Ala. — The 2008 Sun Belt Conference tournament didn’t start the way the Western Kentucky University softball team would have liked as the Toppers fell to the No. 1 seed in the tournament — No. 16 in the country — Louisiana-Lafayette 8-0 Wednesday evening at the Troy Softball Complex.

WKU (26-29) will face off against Middle Tennessee at 12:30 p.m. (CDT) on Thursday in the double elimination event.

The Hilltoppers looked like they were going to put a run on the board in the second inning as Shelby Smith started the inning with a walk. Brittney Perry pinched ran for Smith and found her way to third on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch, but the Toppers couldn’t get her home.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (43-12) put the game away in the fourth on a Gabriele Bridges single to right field that scored two runs to put ULL up 4-0. Bridges struck again in the sixth on a two-RBI double to center field and came around to score in the inning on a wild pitch.

WKU found a hit apiece from its top three batters in Rachelle Boucher, Elizabeth Ferrell and Lindsay Antone. Jennifer Kempf (11-13) was credited with the loss after 5.2 innings of work and four strikeouts.

Bridges finished a perfect 3-for-3 from the plate with five RBI while Ashley Brignac (25-6) pitched a complete game shutout with 10 strikeouts.