UL Softball Stays Unbeaten In Louisiana Classics
The 11th-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajun softball team remains in the young 2017 season, after winning two more games in the 31st Louisiana Classics at Lamson Park on Saturday.
Louisiana won their first game of the day, defeating the DePaul Blue Demons, 4-3, in dramatic come-from-behind fashion, before upending the Ball St. Cardinals, 7-4, also in come-from-behind fashion, in their second game of the day.
Along with their two wins on Friday, 9-1 over DePaul, and 9-1 triumph over Iowa St., Louisiana stays unbeaten on the young season, at 4-0.
The two wins also improved UL’s record in the Louisiana Classics, which dates back to 1987, to an amazing 121-14-1.
In the opener, Louisiana got on the scoreboard first, scoring a run in the bottom half of the 4th inning, when Jamie Landry drove home a run with sacrifice fly, giving them a 1-0 advantage.
DePaul tied things in the top half of the 5th inning when Alysia Rodriguez belted a solo home run, making the score 1-1.
The Blue Demons added a go-ahead run in the top of the 6th, scoring an unearned run, the third unearned run in three games allowed by UL, to take a 2-1 lead.
DePaul scored another run in the top half of the 7th, when Jessica Cothern singled home Micah Fitzgerald to make the score 3-1.
That set-up the Cajun dramatics in the bottom half of the 7th. Kelli Martinez led off with an infield single, before Haley Hayden doubled her home, to trim the deficit to 3-2.
Next, Aleah Craighton walked, before a wild pitch pushed runners to second and third with one out.
D.J. Sanders later grounded out to third, having it come down to Daniella Chavez, who delivered a clutch two-out game-winning single up the middle, to give Louisiana the exciting come-from-behind 4-3 victory.
Summer Ellyson a redshirt-freshman, making her collegiate debut, got a no-decision, allowing one run on four hits in 4.1 innings of work.
Alex Stewart (2-0) recorded the win in the circle for Louisiana, allowing 4 hits and one earned run in 3 innings of relief.
Beth Ashley led the way at the plate, going 2-for-3, while Chavez drove home the game-tying and game-winning runs.
Kennedy Garcia (1-1) suffered the loss for the Blue Demons, allowing 3 runs on 4 hits in 2.2 innings of relief.
In the second UL game of the day, Ball St. scored first, courtesy of Danae King and Amanda Arnett, who delivered back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, giving them a 3-0 lead.
The Cajuns trimmed the deficit to 3-1 in the top half of the 5th inning, scoring an unearned run, when Hayden scored Martinez with a fielders choice grounder.
Louisiana took the lead for good in the bottom of the 6th, plating 4 runs on only two hits, including key two-out, two-run single by Martinez, followed by single by Kara Gremillion, which scored one run, followed by an error, which allowed another run to cross the plate, giving the Cajuns a 5-3 lead.
The Cardinals refuse to go way, scoring an unearned run in the bottom half of the 6th, the 5th unearned run allowed by UL in the tournament, to narrow the Louisiana lead to 5-4.
Louisiana put the game away in the top half of the 7th inning, courtesy of a long two-run homer by D.J. Sanders, her first of the season, to extend their advantage to 7-4, which is how the game ended.
Martinez and Sanders paced UL, who outhit BaIl St., 8-5, both with two RBI's apiece, while Sanders homered.
Macie Smith (1-0) picked up her first career victory in the circle for Louisiana, allowing only three hits and one unearned run in five innings of work.
Aeshia Miles (0-1) suffered the loss for Ball St, allowing five, to go along with two earned runs, in two innings of relief.
Louisiana will play twice more on Sunday in the final day of the tournament, facing Southern Miss in a 1:30 pm doubleheader.
You can hear both games on ESPN 1420 and espn1420.com, beginning with the pregame show at 1:15 pm.
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