UL Softball Sweeps Doubleheader From Appalachian St.
The 7th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajun softball team recorded two more Sun Belt Conference wins on Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader from the Appalachian St. Mountaineers at Lamson Park.
Louisiana won both games in 5-inning mercy-rule fashion, taking the first game, 13-4, before capturing the second game, 14-2.
The two wins increased the Cajuns' current Sun Belt Conference win streak to 11 games, while also improving their current home win streak to 16 games, while the two setbacks moved the Mountaineers' current losing streak to 9 games.
With the two wins, Louisiana improved to 34-6, overall, and 15-1 in Sun Belt Conference play, while Appalachian St. fell to 9-37, and 2-18, respectively.
Appalachian St. got on the scoreboard first in the opener, scoring a run in the top half of the first inning, when Heather Josey singled with two outs, scoring Cara Parker, to give them a quick 1-0 lead.
Louisiana answered right back in the bottom half of the frame, when Hayley Hayden hit an inside-the-park home run to right field, her 7th homer of the season, to even the score, 1-1.
The Cajuns took the lead for good in the bottom half of the second inning, scoring 9 runs on 5 hits, with the highlight of the frame being a solo home run by Sara Corbello, her 9th of the season, to take a 10-1 lead.
The Mountaineers drew closer in the top half of the third inning, scoring 3 runs on 2 hits, to trim the deficit to 10-4.
Louisiana hit two more homers in the bottom half of the third inning, a solo shot by Shellie Landry, her 11th of the season, and a 2-run bomb by D.J. Sanders, her 13th, to extend their lead to 13-4.
That was more than enough for the Cajuns, as they went on to the 9-run mercy-rule triumph.
Hayden, Landry, Sanders, and Corbello led the way at the plate for UL, who outhit Appalachian St., 10-8, each homering, as the Cajuns totaled five extra-base hits in the contest.
Alex Stewart (18-3) picked-up the win in the circle for Louisiana, allowing one run on four hits in two innings of work, while Annaleise Kennedy (2-15)
In the second game it was Louisiana who got on the scoreboard first, scoring three runs in the bottom half of the first inning, courtesy of a 3-run home run by Aleah Craighton, her 15th of the season, to grab a quick 3-0 lead.
The Cajuns added to their lead, in a big way, in the bottom half of the second inning, scoring 11 runs on 6 hits, including a 3-run homer by Landry, her second of the day, and 12th of the year, to widen their lead to 14-0.
Appalachian St. scored their first and only run in the top half of the third inning, an unearned run, to make it 14-1.
The Mountaineers added another run in the top half of the fourth inning, when Heater Josey blasted a solo homer, to trim the deficit to 14-2.
That wrapped-up the scoring, as the Cajuns went on to the 12-run mercy-rule win.
Louisiana, who out hit Appalachian St., 8-4, was led at the plate by Landry and Craighton, who each had 3-run homers, and by Hayley Hayden, who went 3-for-4, to go along with two runs scored and a run batted in.
Alex Stewart (19-3) recorded the win in the circle for the Cajuns, tossing two innings of one-hit softball.
Vanessa Ciacatto (7-18) suffered the setback for the Mountaineers, allowing 13 runs, including 9 earned runs, on 5 hits, while walking 6 and striking out 2.
The two teams will conclude the three-game set with a single game on Sunday at noon.
You can hear all the play-by-play action on ESPN 1420 & espn1420.com, beginning with the pregame show at 11:45 am.
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