TROY, Ala. – Top-seeded Louisiana jumped out to a seven-run lead before eventually picking up a 10-3 win over the University of South Alabama softball team Thursday morning on day three of the Sun Belt Conference Championships held at the Troy Softball Complex.
Kennedy Cronan drove in the lone runs of the afternoon for the Jaguars with her sixth-inning, three-run home run.
Louisiana's Summer Ellyson picked up her 21st win as she tossed seven innings, allowing four hits, one earned run, a walk and 10 strikeouts.
UP NEXT
- South Alabama (27-18) will have to work its way out of the loser's bracket, and will take on the winner of winner of No. 5 App State vs. No. 10 Georgia State (ESPN+) on Friday at 3 p.m.
(4) SOUTH ALABAMA vs. (1) LOUISIANA
Date: 5/13
Place: Troy Softball Complex (Troy, Ala.)
Final Score: (1) Louisiana 10, (4) South Alabama 3
Records: Louisiana (42-10), South Alabama (27-18)
Pitchers of Record: WP – Summer Ellyson (21-6) LP – Olivia Lackie (17-10)
Home Runs: USA: Kennedy Cronan (4); LA: Kendall Talley (3)
GAME FACTS
- Caroline Nichols lined a single back up the middle to start the game, and moved into scoring position with her 12th stolen base of the spring. With two away, Nichols took advantage of a ball in the dirt and moved to third, but Ellyson was able to get a strikeout swinging to end the inning.
- Kaitlyn Alderink laid down a bunt with one out in the bottom half of the first and on the next pitch, Talley hit her second home run of the season over the ball in right center (2-0).
- Cronan walked with two, snapping a streak of 11-straight retired Jaguar batters by Ellyson, but the UL pitcher was able to get a ground out to short to end the inning.
- Julia Rawls led off UL fourth with a single to center and two batters later, Bailey Curry laced a pinch-hit single to the gap in left center to put runners at the corners with one out. UL then loaded the bases on a fielder's choice and Louisiana added a run one batter later as Cierra Bryan lifted a ball to right for a sacrifice fly (3-0). Alderink was hit by a pitch to load the bases for the second time in the inning and the Ragin' Cajuns added the second run of the inning on a steal of home (4-0).
- Talley was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the fifth and Justice Millz dropped in a single in shallow right center and a Jaguar error put runners at the corner with no outs. UL tacked on another run one batter later on a fielder's choice to extend the Ragin' Cajun advantage to five runs. After a two-out walk and single, Bailey Curry's two-run single made it 7-0.
- Nichols and Mackenzie Brasher singled with one out in the top of the sixth for South – the first time the Jags had had multiple base runners – and Cronan put South on the board as she homered over the wall in center on the first pitch she saw from Ellyson to cut the deficit to four (3-7).
- The Ragin' Cajuns answered right back with three unearned runs as they were aided by a pair of errors. Louisiana loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the sixth after a fielding error and a pair of singles, and Rawls reached on a RBI infield single to get a run back (3-8). Two more runs crossed the plate one batter later after the second fielding error of the inning and third of the game for the Jags.
NOTES
- The meeting marks the ninth time the two programs have faced each other in the postseason at the league tournament.
- The home run by Talley was the 10th first-pitch home run allowed by Jaguar pitching this spring.
- Brasher extended her hit streak to four games and her reached base safely streak to five games with her sixth-inning single.
- Cronan's three-run home run marked the 15th long ball of her career. It was also her third extra-base hit of the tournament, including her second home run in as many games.
- Cronan now has 41 career multi-hit games, three shy of moving into the top 10 of the category at South.
- The multi-RBI game was her team-leading 10th of the spring and the 21st of her career
- Both the 10 runs allowed and the 12 hits allowed by South's pitching tied for the most allowed in a SBC tournament game. The only other time coming also against the Ragin' Cajuns at the 2011 and 2014 tournaments, respectively.
- Nichols was the lone Jag to record multiple hits as she was 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored. The multi-hit game was the eighth of her career/season.
THEY SAID IT
Head coach Becky Clark
- On the game:
"Obviously, we did not play well today. The execution was not there and we beat ourselves in a lot of places. We have to rebound and get ready for tomorrow because every game we play right now is important."
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Bullpen Club, the softball specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. Members have access to purchase parking passes and receive Jaguar Softball gear. All donations to the Bullpen Club go directly to support the South Alabama softball program. For more information on how you can join visit: jaguarathleticfund.com/bullpenclub.
—USA—
