The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns are conference champions yet again.
With Saturday’s 15-3 victory over South Alabama, the Ragin’ Cajuns claimed the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship for a record 16th time.
The Ragin’ Cajuns wasted little time taking control.
Ciara Bryan led off the game with a single to center field and was quickly joined on the base paths by Kaitlyn Alderink who hit a single up the middle.
Kendall Talley drove them both home with a single to right field. Julie Rawls drew a walk and Alissa Dalton was then hit by a pitch.
Two batters later, Jade Gortarez brought home two with a double to right center to make it 5-0.
Texas State softball (38-11 overall, 17-6 Sun Belt) fell 4-3 to the University of Louisiana Ragin Cajuns (43-10 overall, 21-3 Sun Belt) in the semi-finals of the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
Despite the loss, the Bobcats are not out of the tournament and will play an elimination game against the No. 4 seed University of South Alabama on May 15. The winner will play Louisiana in the championship.
The No. 2 Bobcats came into the matchup with a 4-0 shutout over the No. 6 University of Texas at Arlington while No. 1 Louisiana won a 10-3 blowout against South Alabama.
The game went scoreless through four innings, but the Bobcats managed to get four base hits in that time, even stranding three runners on base in the bottom of the second.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Ragin’ Cajuns got on the scoreboard in the first inning.
Kaitlyn Alderink got on with a one-out single and then Kendall Talley stepped into the box and hit a two-run home run off of Olivia Lackie that went over the right-centerfield wall.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Ragin’ Cajuns got on the board again as Julie Rawls led off with a single to center field.
Two hitters later, pinch hitter Bailey Curry hit a single to left center field and then Piskos reached on a sacrifice bunt.
With the bases loaded, Ciara Bryan’s sac fly to right centerfield scored Rawls. Alderink was then hit by a pitch to reload the bases.
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University of Louisiana head softball coach Gerry Glasco saw his Ragin’ Cajuns softball team defeat ULM 10-1 in five innings Thursday at Lamson Park. Photo by Raymond Partsch III
The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns began their final series of the regular season with a 10-1 win over in-state rival ULM on Thursday night at Lamson Park.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
ULM took the lead in the top of the first as leadoff hitter Jayden Mount hit a solo home run off of starter Summer Ellyson.
Ellyson would then walk Alysia Anderson, give up a fielder’s choice to Korie Kreps (Anderson was out at second) and then a single to Kennedy Page to load the bases.