UL Softball Sweeps Doubleheader From Texas Tech

The 6th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajun softball team recorded two more win on Thursday afternoon, sweeping a doubleheader from the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Lamson Park.

Louisiana won the first game, 6-2, before taking the nightcap, 11-5.

The Cajuns got on the scoreboard first, in the bottom half of the second inning, when senior first basemen Kelsey Vincent blasted a solo home run, her fourth of the season, giving them a 1-0 lead.

Texas Tech grabbed the lead in the top half of the fourth inning, scoring two runs after UL starting pitcher Alex Stewart retired the first 10 Red Raider hitters, when Kiani Ramsey singled, before Kierra Miles belted a two-run homer, giving them a 2-1 advantage.

Louisiana took the lead right back in the bottom half of the fourth inning, when senior catcher Lexie Elkins, the national home run leader, crushed a solo shot, her 9th of the year, before adding two more runs, including one unearned, to take a 4-2 advantage.

The Cajuns put the game away in the bottom half of the fifth inning, when sophomore centerfielder Aleah Craighton hammered a two-out, two-run home run, her second of the season, extending their lead to 6-2, a lead they would hold the rest of the way, as they went on to the 4-run victory.

Leading the way at the plate for Louisiana, who outhit Texas Tech, 6-5, was Elkins, Vincent, and Craighton, who all homered.

Alex Stewart (6-0) recorded the win in the circle for the Cajuns, allowing 2 runs on 5 hits, while striking out a season-high 9 batters, without a walk.

Cheyenne Powell (2-3) suffered the loss for the Red Raiders, allowing 4 runs in 3 innings of work.

View the game box score.

In the second game, Louisiana jumped out to a big lead in the first inning, scoring 4 runs on only one hit, in the bottom half of the frame, to grab a quick 4-0 lead.

The Cajuns added two more runs in the bottom half of the second inning, courtesy of a two-run home run by senior left-fielder Shellie Landry, to widen the lead to 6-0.

Texas Tech scored their only run of the game, an unearned run, in the top half of the third inning, to trim the deficit to 6-1.

Louisiana extended their lead in the bottom half of the fourth inning, when junior second Haley Hayden singled, and later scored on a two-out double by Elkins, making the score 7-1.

The Red Raiders got closer in the top half of the fifth inning, when catcher Susan Welborn smacked a solo homer, cutting the UL lead to 7-2.

Texas Tech added three more runs in the top half of the sixth inning, including a solo homer by Miles, to draw within two runs, 7-5.

The Cajuns added four big insurance runs in the bottom of the 6th inning, two on a two-out, two-run single off the bat of Vincent, followed by a two-run double off the bat of sophomore centerfielder Aleah Craighton, to extend their lead to 11-5.

That was more than enough, as UL went on to the 6-run win, and the doubleheader sweep.

Louisiana, who pounded out 9 hits in game two, were led at the plate by Craighton, who went 2-for-3, along with a double and 3 runs batted in, while Elkins chipped in, going 2-for2, with 2 runs and an RBI.

Like she did in the first game, Stewart got the victory in the circle for the Cajuns in game two, allowing 5 runs on 9 hits.

Dominique Alcocer (1-5 ) suffered the loss for the Red Raiders, allowing 6 runs in 1.1 innings of work.

View the game box score.

With the two wins, Louisiana improved to 10-1 on the season, while Texas Tech dropped to 4-8.

The Cajuns return to action on Friday afternoon at 4 o'clock, when they play host to Rutgers in the first day of play in the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational at Lamson Park.