UL Softball Drops Two To USM
The 11th-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun softball team wrapped-up play in the the 31st Louisiana Classics at Lamson Park on Sunday with a pair of losses.
Louisiana dropped the opening game to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, 4-3, for their first setback of the year, before also dropping the second game, 5-3.
Along with their two wins on Friday, and two more on Saturday, Louisiana is now 4-2 on the young season.
The doubleheader losses also moved UL’s record in the Louisiana Classics, which dates back to 1987, to 121-16-1.
In the opener, Southern Miss got on the scoreboard first, scoring three runs in the bottom half of the 3rd inning, Lauren Holifield smashed a three-run home run, giving them a 3-0 advantage.
Louisiana scored their first run in the top half of the 5th inning, when Hayley Hayden doubled home Kassidy Zeringue, to trim the deficit to 3-1.
The Golden Eagles added an insurance run in the bottom half of the 6th inning, when Samantha Papp crushed a solo home run, making the score 4-1
Louisiana, who outhit the Golden Eagles, 8-5, made things interesting in the 7th inning, scoring twice, courtesy of a 2-run double by D.J. Sanders, but left the potential tying run on third base, as they fell just one run short.
Jillian Johnson (1-0) recorded the win for Southern Miss, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits, while walking 4 and striking out 6.
Alyssa Denham (1-1) suffered the loss for Louisiana, allowing 5 hits and 3 earned runs in 6 innings of work.
In the second game, Louisiana scored first, plating three runs in the top half of the third inning, courtesy of a run-scoring triple by Aleah Craighton, an RBI double by D.J. Sanders, and an RBI single off the bat of Daniella Chavez, giving them a 3-0 lead.
Southern Miss knotted the game in the bottom half of the 6th inning, when Papp blasted a pinch-hit, three-run home run, to tie the game, 3-3.
The Golden Eagles won it in the bottom of the 7th innings, when Selena Estrada belted a walk-off two-run homer to win it, 5-3, and give USM the twinbill sweep.
Chavez paced UL, who outhit Southern Miss, 6-2, in a losing cause, with two hits and an RBI, while Sanders and Craighton also drove in runs.
Alex Stewart (2-1) suffered the loss in the circle for Louisiana, while Kim Crowson (2-1) got the win for USM.
Louisiana returns to action on Friday, when they host to the 7th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, in the opening game of a three-game, weekend, non-conference series.
Source: UL Softball Drops Two To USM