Ul Softball Loses To Illinois St., 4-3

UL junior third baseman Natalie Fernandez

The 13th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajun softball team lost their final game of the 2013 Diamond 9 Citrus Classic on Sunday, falling to the Illinois St. Redbirds, 4-3, at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, Florida.

With the defeat, the Cajuns finished up play at 2-3 in the tournament

Louisiana grabbed the lead in the second inning, as third baseman Natalie Fernandez and outfielder Brianna Cherry each drove in runs, giving them a 2-0 advantage.

Illinois St. tied it in the bottom of the fourth, as catcher Elizabeth Kay belted a two run homer, and took the lead on an RBI single by Kolby Hoffman.

The Redbirds extended their lead to 4-2 in the fifth inning, when designated hitter Shelby Music drove home Laura Canopy with a run-scoring single, making it 4-2.

The Cajuns got closer in the sixth inning, as first baseman Matte Haack tripled, and then score on a ground out by catcher Sarah Draheim. But it was too little, too late, as Illinois St. hung on for the one-run win.

Taylor Baxter (6-3) picked up the win for the Redbirds, while Jordan Wallace (8-3) suffered the loss for the Cajuns.

With the victory, Illinois St. improved to 11-10 on the season, while Louisiana fell to 15-5.

The Cajuns return to action on Wednesday, traveling to Austin, Texas to take on the Texas Longhorns in a non-conference doubleheader.

View the game box score.