LAFAYETTE, La. | In a battle of second-place teams in the Sun Belt Conference, Louisiana was able to pick up a pair of victories Saturday afternoon as the Ragin' Cajuns swept a doubleheader versus South Alabama at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park. The Ragin' Cajuns held off a seventh-inning rally by the Jags to win game one 7-5, and then defeated South 8-0 in five innings in game two.
With the losses, South Alabama falls to 25-12 overall and 8-3 in league play, while Louisiana improved to 29-10 overall and 10-1 in the SBC.
Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On the two games: "Obviously, we did not play the way we are capable of today. We gave away too much on both sides of the ball. We have to work through the hard stuff, adjust and get better from this."
Game 1 – Louisiana 7, South Alabama 5
South Alabama attempted a seventh-inning rally scoring four in the seventh and brought the go-ahead run to the place, but Meghan Schroman (11-4) reentered the game and closed things out. In her five-and-two-thirds inning of work, Schroman allowed just two hits, a run and struck out 10 batters.
Laney Creduer was a perfect 3-for-3 with a pair of home runs and three RBI, while Karly Heath was 2-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored and a pair of runs driven in.
After the Jaguars were retired in order in the top half of the first, the Ragin' Cajuns jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage as Creduer recorded her third home run of the spring, this one a two-run shot to center, scoring Heath.
In the UL second with one away, Stormy Kotzelnick drove a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right center to extend the lead to 3-0.
The Ragin' Cajuns scored for the third straight inning as they took advantage of a couple of Jaguar errors. Mihya Davis reached to begin the inning when her grounder to second was unable to be fielded cleanly, and then after stealing second and advancing to third on another error, Davis came home on a sacrifice fly from Heath to extend UL's advantage to 4-0. Creduer then homered off the scoreboard in right – her second home run of the contest.
Gabby Stagner broke up the no-hitter and put the Jags on the board as she blasted her third home run of the spring into the stands in left (1-5).
The Ragin' Cajuns got the run back in the bottom half of the inning as Heath led off the inning with Louisiana's fourth home run of the contest – this one stretching the deficit to five (1-6).
Louisiana added some insurance in the bottom of the sixth. Sophie Piskos lined a two-out double to the gap in left center and Davis recorded her second hit of the afternoon with a single to center, bringing around Piskos (1-7). UL then loaded the bases after back-to-back walks.
Meredith Keel led off the top of the seventh with a double to left center and
Victoria Ortiz worked a walk to put a pair aboard.
Sasha Willems then drew a full-count walk to load the bases.
Odalys Cordova then singled back up the middle to score Keel and trim the deficit to 7-2. Two batters later,
Abby Allen lined a single to center to score two more and pull the Jags within three (4-7). With runners at the corners,
Stephanie Gonzalez singled through the right side of the infield to bring in Cordova (5-7).
Scoring Summary
• 1st Inn | Creduer homered to center, 2 RBI; Heath scored (0-2, UL)
• 2nd Inn | Kotzelnick homered to right center, RBI (0-3, UL)
• 3rd Inn | Heath flew out to right, sacrifice, RBI; Davis scored, unearned (0-4, UL)
• 3rd Inn | Creduer homered to center, unearned, RBI (0-5, UL)
• 5th Inn | Stagner homered to left, RBI (1-5, USA)
• 5th Inn | Heath homered to center, RBI (1-6, UL)
• 6th Inn | Davis singled to center, RBI; Piskos scored (1-7, UL)
• 7th Inn | Cordova singled back up the middle, RBI; Keel scored (2-7, USA)
• 7th Inn | Allen singled to center, 2 RBI; Ortiz scored and Willems scored (4-7, USA)
• 7th Inn | Gonzalez pinch-hit single through the right side of the infield, RBI; Cordova scored (5-7, USA)
Postgame Notes
• The 1-2-4 hitters in the UL lineup were a combined 7-for-10 with five runs scored and six RBI
• The two home runs by Creduer mark the first time a Jag pitcher has given up multiple home runs in the same game since Troy's Taylor McKinley (5/6/22)
• The four home runs allowed by South marked the first four-home run game by an opponent since surrendering four at Tennessee (3/5/22) last spring
• Two of Stagner's three home runs this spring have come against Sun Belt competition
• Three of Stagner's nine career home runs have also come against the Ragin' Cajuns with two of those given up by Schorman
• Keel has had at least one hit in 25 of South's 36 games, and she has had a hit in 10 of her last 13, reaching base safely in 13 of 14
• With her walk, Ortiz has now reached base in 13-straight games, matching a career best streak
• Cordova has had a hit in six of her last eight, and reached base safely in seven straight
• All three of Gonzalez's RBI this season have come in pinch-hit opportunities
• South Alabama was retired in order in five of its seven innings
• The 13 strikeouts by UL pitching were the most by an opponent this spring
Game 2 – Louisiana 8, South Alabama 0 (5 inn.)
Sam Landry (10-4) tossed a complete-game shutout, scattering four hits and striking out six, and the Ragin' Cajuns rode a five-run first to pick up a five-inning, 8-0 win.
South Alabama loaded the bases after three-straight one-out singles.
Mackenzie Brasher dropped in a base hit to shallow left center, Willems followed with a single to center and Ortiz singled to left, but Landry struck out the next two Jag batters to work out of the jam.
Louisiana took advantage of the missed scoring opportunity as it sent nine batters to the plate and scored five runs on five hits in the bottom half of the inning. Davis led off the UL first with an infield single, who then moved into scoring position with her 33rd stolen base of the season. Heath reached on an error to put runners at the corners, who then stole second as well. Creduer continued her hot hitting for the Ragin' Cajuns as she lined a single into the outfield, scoring a pair. Lauren Allred singled through the right side. After a wild pitch, Louisiana again had runners at second and third, and Alexa Langaliers singled back up the middle to bring around two more runs and give the Ragin' Cajuns a four-run lead.
The Jags moved another runner in scoring position their next time up as
Emma Kropp led off the inning with a walk and pinch runner
Erin McGlothlin moved to second on a ground out, but Landry stranded the South runner as she induced a pop out to second.
With two outs in the UL second, Creduer unloaded her fifth home run of the season and her third of the day to extend the Jag deficit to six.
South Alabama moved its first runner into scoring position for the first time since the opening frame as Keel doubled to center with one out in the top of the fifth for the Jags, and moved to third on a ground out, but Landry was able to record a strikeout to end the inning and maintain the shutout.
Louisiana loaded the bases with three-straight singles to begin its half of the fifth. Heath led off the inning with a single through the right side and Creduer followed with a single of her own back up the middle. With the bases loaded after a single by Allred, UL recorded a pair of sacrifice flies to pick up the win.
Scoring Summary
• 1st Inn | Creduer singled to center, 2 RBI; Davis scored, Heath scored, unearned (0-2, UL)
• 1st Inn | Langeliers singled back up the middle, 2 RBI; Allred scored and Kramer Eschete scored (0-4, UL)
• 1st Inn | Maddie Haden singled to short; Lanegliers advanced to third and scored on error by 1b, unearned (0-5, UL)
• 2nd Inn | Creduer homered to center, RBI (0-6, UL)
• 5th Inn | Langeliers fly out to right, sacrifice, RBI; Heath scored (0-7, UL)
• 5th Inn | Kotzenick fly out to left, sacrifice, RBI; Creduer scored (0-8, UL)
Postgame Notes
• With her fifth-inning double, Keel has now had at least one hit in 26 of South's 37 games, recording at least one hit in 11 of her last 14, and reaching base safely in 14 of her last 15
• Brasher has had a hit in 13 of her last 15, while reaching base safely in 16 of her last 18 contests
• Ortiz has had a hit in 15 of her last 19, and reached base safely in a career-best 14 consecutive games
• The caught stealing by Kropp was her fourth of the season and the 11th of her Jaguar career
• Saturday marked the first run-rule loss for the Jags since March 5, 2022 at Tennessee (9-0)
• Louisiana was 6-for-10 with runners on and 4-of-7 with runners in scoring position, while the Jags were just 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, leaving six runners on base
Up Next
• South Alabama will close out the three-game series on Sunday. First pitch of the series finale versus the Ragin' Cajuns is set for 2:30 p.m. at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
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