LAFAYETTE, La. | South Alabama brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but Kendra Lamb retired the final three batters Louisiana picked up the 2-0 victory on Sunday at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park to complete the Sun Belt Conference series sweep.

South Alabama (25-13, 8-4 SBC) will now return home to begin a four-game homestand on Tuesday night against Nicholls. Louisiana improved to 30-10 and 11-1 in the league. 

Quotable - South Alabama head coach Becky Clark
- On the loss: "This is always a tough series with two good teams competeting. These games make you better individually and as a team. We will evaluate the areas that we need to improve and be a better team because of it."

Louisiana 2, South Alabama 0
Sasha Willems lined a two-out double into the gap in left center in the top of the first and Victoria Ortiz was intentionally walked to put a pair aboard. Odalys Cordova lined a single to center, but Mihyia Davis was able to throw out Willems at the plate to end the inning.

Davis led off the bottom half of the opening frame with a triple off the wall in right, but Olivia Lackie (13-6) answered back with back-to-back strikeouts and a fly out to Mackenzie Brasher in center on the warning track to leave the Ragin' Cajun leadoff batter stranded.

Gabby Stagner continued the aggressive approach by the Jags as she led off the second with a single to center. Stephanie Gonzalez was then hit by a pitch, which caused a pitching change for UL. Bailey Welch was then hit by a pitch on a 1-2 count to load the bases. UL's Sam Landry (11-4) was able to retire the next three, including a fielder's choice out at home, to keep the game scoreless.

Louisiana used the long ball to break the scoreless tie with a pair of solo shots over the next two innings. Kylei Griffin broke the scoreless tie with a two-out solo shot over the wall in left center (0-1) in the second – her second of the spring. Karly Heath then homered over the scoreboard in right – her 11th of the season and second of the series – with one out in the third. 

UL looked to possibly do more damage, placing two in scoring position after a two-out Jaguar error, but Bailey Welch made a diving grab on a liner down the line in left to end the fourth inning.

Meredith Keel bounced a single back up the middle – ending a streak of 10-straight retired by Landry – with one out in the top of the fifth. Keel moved into scoring position one batter later on a ground out, but Landry was able to get a strikeout to end the frame.

South Alabama brought the tying run to the plate in the seventh as pinch hitter Emma Kropp was hit by the first pitch of the inning, but Lamb entered in relief of Landry and retired the final three Jaguar batters – two on strikeouts to preserve the shutout and pick up her second save of the season.

Scoring Summary
•    2nd Inn | Griffin homered to left center, RBI (0-1, UL)
•    3rd Inn | Heath homered to right, RBI (0-2, UL)

Postgame Notes
•    With the win, Louisiana extended its win streak to 23 games in the series
•    Ortiz extended her career-best 15-game reached base safely streak with her walk in the first
•    Griffin's home run was the fourth two-out long ball and the sixth solo of the series
•    Keel has now had at least one hit in 27 of South's 38 games, recording at least one hit in 12 of her last 15, and reaching base safely in 15 of her last 16
•    Lackie held the Ragin' Cajuns to 0-for-12 with runners on and 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position
•    The lone two-out hit by UL came on Griffin's home run
•    Louisiana's pitching allowed just one hit over the final five-plus innings of the game, and retired 17 of the final 19 batters

Up Next
•    South Alabama will return home to host Nicholls in its final non-conference matchup. First pitch versus the Colonels is set for 5 p.m. at Jaguar Field.

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