The 18th-ranked Louisiana softball team was victorious in a non-conference contest on Sunday afternoon, defeating the 4th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, 7-0, at Lamson Park.

The contest marked the rubber game of the three-game series, after the two squads split a doubleheader on Friday, with Alabama winning the opener, 3-0, and Louisiana taking the second game, 11-2.

UL, who outscored Alabama over the last two games of the series, 18-2, rode the power bat of junior shortstop D.J. Sanders, who crushed two home runs on the afternoon, and the shutout pitching of freshman right-hander Alyssa Denham, to the triumph.

Louisiana got on the scoreboard first, plating two runs in the bottom half of the first inning, when Sanders smashed a two-out, two-run home run, her second long ball of the year, to give them a quick 2-0 lead.

The Cajuns added another run in the bottom half of the fourth inning, when pinch-hitter Corin Voinche drove home pinch-runner Chelsea Lotief with a sacrifice-fly, to extend their lead to 3-0.

Louisiana made it 5-0 in the bottom half of the 5th inning, scoring twice, when Sanders crushed a solo homer, her second of the game, and her third of the season, before adding an unearned run on a throwing error, to widen their advantage to 5-0.

The Cajuns ended the scoring with two insurance runs in the bottom half of the 6th inning, with the highlight of the frame being a two-out, two-run single off the bat of Daniella Chavez.

That was all UL would need, as they coasted to the 7-run shutout win.

Louisiana, who outhit Alabama, 5-2, was paced at the plate by Sanders, who went 2-for-4, to go along with 2 homers and 3 runs batted in.

Denham (2-1) recorded the win in the circle for the Cajuns, tossing the complete-game shutout, wile walking 3 and striking out 4.

Alexis Osorio (4-1) suffered the loss for the Crimson Tide, allowing 4 runs on 2 hits over 4.1 innings.

With the victory, Louisiana improved to 6-3 on the young season, while Alabama fell to 7-2.

The Cajuns return to action on Thursday, in the opening day of play in the Mardi Gras Invitational, when they face Drake and Bowling Green.

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