UL Softball Sweeps Doubleheader From Georgia Southern
The 20th-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team continues to roll in league action, after sweeping a Sun Belt Conference doubleheader from the Georgia Southern Eagles on Saturday in Statesboro, Georgia.
Louisiana won both games via the mercy rule, capturing the first game, 15-0, in five innings, before taking the second game, 10-2, in six frames.
The two wins extend the Cajuns' current winning streak to 8 games, and their Sun Belt Conference win streak to 14 games, dating back to last season.
The two triumphs also guarantees Louisiana their 32nd-consecutive series victory, a school and Sun Belt Conference record.
The Cajuns haven't lost a league series since 2013, when they dropped 2-of-3 to South Alabama in Mobile, Alabama.
In the opener, Louisiana got on the scoreboard first, scoring 4 runs in the top half of the first inning, when DJ Sanders belted a two-run home run, her 17th of the season, before UL added two more unearned runs, to give them a quick 4-0 lead.
The Cajuns added another run in the top half of the 2nd inning, courtesy of a solo homer off the bat of Haley Hayden, her 5th of the season, to make it 5-0.
Louisiana put the game completely away in the top half of the 4th inning, scoring 5 runs on 4 hits, including a two-run double by Sanders to take a commanding 10-0 advantage.
UL added 5 more insurance runs in the top half of the 5th inning, including a 3-run homer by Lexie Comeaux, her 8th of the year, to make it 15-0.
That was more than enough for the Cajuns, as they romped to the 15-run mercy-rule win.
Louisiana, who outhit Georgia Southern, 13-1, was led at the play by Sanders, who went 2-for-4, to along with a homer, a double, and 4 runs batted in, Hayden, who went 2-for-4, with a homer, and Comeaux, who went 2-for-3, to go along with a homer, a double, and 4 RBI's.
Alex Stewart (11-3) recorded the win in the circle for the Cajuns, who had three pitcher combine on the one-hitter, allowing only one hit over three shutout innings.
Dixie Raley (9-11) suffered the loss for the Eagles, allowing 5 hits and 3 earned runs in 1-plus inning of work.
In the second game, it was Georgia Southern that got on the scoreboard first, plating a run in the bottom half of the opening inning, courtesy of a solo home run by Morgan Robinson, her 6th of the season, to grab a 1-0 advantage.
Louisiana responded with three runs in the top half of the second inning, including run-scoring ground balls from Kelli Martinez and Kara Gremillion, to take a 3-1 lead.
UL extended their advantage in the top half of the 3rd inning, when Daniella Chavez drove home a run with a double, to widen their lead to 4-1.
The Cajuns pushed across another run in the top half of the 5th inning, when Gremillion drew a bases loaded walk, to make it 5-1.
The Eagles drew a run closer in the bottom half of the 5th inning, when Emily Snider drove home a run with a two-out triple, to trim the deficit to 5-2.
Louisiana put the game away in the top half of the 6th inning, scoring 5 runs on 4 hits, including a three-run homer by Chavez, her 5th of the season, to make it 10-2.
That would be all the Cajuns would need, as they cruised to the 8-run, 6-inning mercy-rule triumph.
Louisiana, who outhit Georgia Southern, 10-4, was led at the plate by Kassidy Zeringue, who went 3-for-4, while Chavez went 2-for-4, including a double, a homer, and four runs driven in.
Alyssa Denham (10-1) picked up the win for the Cajuns, allowing two runs on four hits, over 5 innings.
Kierra Camp (5-6) was hit with the loss for the Eagles, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits over 4.1 innings.
With the two wins, Louisiana improved to 25-5, overall, and 8-0 in league play, while Georgia Southern dropped to 15-18, and 5-6, respectively.
The Cajuns now lead the all-time series against the Eagles, 9-1.
The two teams will conclude the series with a single game on Sunday, scheduled for noon (CDT).
You can hear all the play-by-play action on ESPN 1420 and espn1420.com, beginning with the pregame show at 11:45 am.