MOBILE, Ala. | Louisiana picked up a 3-2 victory over South Alabama to complete a suspended game from the day before, and took both games of a doubleheader, 6-2 and 15-3 in eight innings to earn a Sun Belt Conference series-sweep Saturday at Jaguar Field.
In the series finale,
Mackenzie Brasher recorded the 75th stolen base of her career to move into a tie for the program's all-time mark.
Quotable – head coach Becky Clark
- On how the club is going to use the three losses: "Stating the obvious, today was a rough day for us. We've got to decide what we are going to do with these losses. I feel like we're at a fork in the road where we have to decide if we're going to let this defeat us, or if we're going to go on a run. For me, days like today challenge you to go on a winning streak and never look back."
Game 1 – (RV) Louisiana 3, (RV) South Alabama 2
Louisiana scored three runs in the top of the fourth and held off a seventh-inning charge by the Jags to pick up a 3-2 win in the suspended series opener. South Alabama (14-9-1, 0-1 SBC) scored two runs in the top of the seventh, and had the tying runner standing at third at the end of the game.
How It Happened
• South Alabama threatened to get on the board in the bottom half of the first.
Gabby Stagner lined a one-out double to the gap in left center and then moved up a base one batter later on a ground out.
Olivia Branstetter was hit by a pitch to put runners at the corners, but Louisiana's Sam Landry (8-5) was able to get a strikeout swinging to end the inning.
• Brooke Ellestad led off the third for Louisiana with an infield single who was then moved into scoring position on a ground out. Mihyia Davis reached on another infield single back up the middle, but
Odalys Cordova made an outstanding defensive play to hold the runner at third. Davis then stole second, but on the next pitch,
Olivia Lackie (10-4) was able to get a ground out to Cordova to leave the two Cajun runners in scoring position.
• Laney Credur led off the top of the fourth with a single to right and two pitches later Sam Roe lifted her third home run of the spring over the wall in left center to put UL up, 2-0. With one out in the inning, Alexa Langeliers lined a triple off the wall in left and then came in to score on Ellestad's RBI single to center (UL, 3-0).
• Langeliers recorded her second hit of the contest, this one a one-out single back up the middle and Ellestad doubled to left to put runners at the corners. With two outs in the inning,
Mackenzie Brasher made a diving catch in shallow left center to end the inning to hold the deficit at three.
• Maddie Hayden lined a one-out double to center where the game was suspended due to lightning and inclement weather. On Saturday, the game was resumed and Laney Creduer lined a single to right to put runners at the corners, but Lackie was able to get a ground ball back to Branstetter at third who came home for the out of Hayden and then a pop out to first to end the inning.
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Sasha Willems led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to left center, and Branstetter was hit by a pitch for the second time in the contest to bring the potential tying run to the plate.
Shelby Garrett then drew a walk to load the bases. Cordova then lifted a ball to right that was deep enough to plate pinch runner
Caitlyn Gavin and trim the deficit to two (3-1).
Gracie Tentinger followed with a sacrifice fly to center to score pinch runner
Erin McGlothlin (UL, 3-2).
• With the tying run standing at third, Chloe Riassetto recorded a ground out to first to end the game for her second save of the spring
Postgame Notes
• Game one of the series marked the fourth time that the two clubs have faced off against each other to open league play
• South Alabama had its four-game win streak in SBC series openers and SBC home openers snapped with the loss
• The game was suspended in the top of the seventh with one out and UL leading 3-0, and resumed on Saturday
• Brasher became just the 11th player in program history to reach 200 played in a Jaguar uniform
• Prior to the resumption of the game and the single to Willems, UL's Landry had retired 14 of the next 15 batters and faced the minimum following the hit-by pitch to Branstetter
• Stagner has had a hit in four of her last five and in 20 of her 24 games this spring, and the junior has now reached base safely in 22 games
• Branstetter has reached base safely in five of her last seven outings after reaching by a hit-by-pitch in her first plate appearance
• Cordova's walk to lead off the bottom of the fifth ended a streak of 10 straight batters retired by Landry
• Tentinger reached base safely in five of her last eight outings
Game 2 – (RV) Louisiana 6, (RV) South Alabama 2
Louisiana (17-12, 2-0 SBC) plated a pair of runs in the opening frame and went on to clinch the series with a 6-2 victory in game two.
Davis and Hayden each had a pair of hits and combined to score three runs at the top of the lineup. Langeliers was 3-for-4 at the plate as well and Roe and Ellestad each had two RBI.
Bailey Welch was 2-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored for South Alabama (14-10-1, 0-2 SBC).
How It Happened
• Louisiana had the first two batters reach as Davis and Hayden led off the game with back-to-back singles.
Madison Lagle (1-3) retired the next two batters, but Langeliers lined a single back up the middle to plate a run, scoring Davis from second, and Ellestad followed with a RBI single of her own (UL, 2-0).
• Louisiana added to its lead with a run in the third after loading the bases with one out. Pinch hitter Sophie Piskos was hit by a pitch, scoring Sam Roe (UL, 3-0).
• Welch lined a single to left to lead off the bottom half of the inning, who then moved into scoring position with a steal of second.
Marley Sims then lined a single off the bag at third which allowed Welch to come all the way around from second and score (UL, 3-1). Welch was initially called out at home on the play, but video replay overturned the ball.
• South Alabama nearly plated another run in the inning but the Ragin' Cajuns' defense came up with a big play. With runners at the corners and one out, Landry was able to get out of the inning as Hayden snagged a liner off and doubled off the runner at first.
• The Cajuns doubled their run total in the top of the sixth with three runs on five hits. Louisiana loaded the bases with one out after three, and Creduer extended the UL advantage to 5-1 with a two-run single back up the middle. Langeliers then reloaded the bases with UL's fifth hit of the frame, and one batter later, Credeur came home on a fielder's choice (UL, 6-1).
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Brooklynn Bockhaus tripled with two outs in the Jaguar seventh and Welch drove in the right fielder (UL, 6-2).
Postgame Notes
• Welch – one of six seniors on the Jaguar roster – was recognized prior to the start of game two of the series
• The series win extended Louisiana's conference-series, win streak to 82 – the longest such current streak in the nation
• With her sixth-inning triple, Stagner has had a hit in five of her last six and in 21 of her 25 games this spring, reaching base safely in 23 games
• The triple was the third of Stagner's career and the 49th extra-base hit
• Branstetter has reached base safely in five of her last seven outings after reaching by a hit-by-pitch in her first plate appearance
• The 12 hits allowed by Jaguar pitching were a season-high allowed to an opponent
Game 3 – (RV) Louisiana 15 (RV), South Alabama 3 (8 Inn.)
South Alabama (14-11-1) sat an out away from taking the series finale, but pinch-hitter Jourdyn Campbell tied the game up with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh and Louisiana (18-12) plated 13 runs on 11 hits in extra innings to complete the series sweep.
How It Happened
• South Alabama took its first lead of the series in the bottom of the third. Sims lined a single off Riassato to begin the frame and moved into scoring position on a ground out. Brasher then put runners at the corners with a swinging bunt. Brasher stole her 75th career base to move into scoring position and Stagner nearly recorded her seventh home run of the spring, but the ball was just shy of the wall in left, deep enough for Sims to come home (USA, 1-0). South then plated an unearned run after a fielding error allowed Brasher to race home (USA, 2-0).
• With a runner on and two out in the top half of the sixth, Credeur lined a single to left, but Lackie was able to get a foul out to Branstetter at third to end the threat.
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Stephanie Gonzalez was hit by a pitch with one out in the bottom of the sixth, and Welch dropped in a single of her own in right.
• Ellestad brought the tying run to the plate when she lined a double off the base of the wall in left center. After a pop out to second, Campbell drove a 1-0 over the wall in left to tie the game up, 2-2.
• Branstetter was hit by a pitch – the fourth time in the series for the freshman – to begin the bottom half of the seventh. A wild pitch then moved Gavin, pinch running for Branstetter, to second. Brasher then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Gavin to third, and Stagner was intentionally walked. With the winning run standing 60-feet away, Landry retired the next two Jaguar batters with a strikeout and a pop out on the infield.
• After tying the game up the previous half inning, the Ragin' Cajuns broke things open with 13 runs on 11 hits. Davis led off the eighth with a single to center and Hayden was hit by a pitch to put a pair on. Creduer then bounced a RBI single back up the middle to put the Ragin' Cajuns back out in front (3-2). Roe laid down a bunt and beat the throw to first to load the bases with no one out. Louisiana then added to its lead as Langeliers singled up the middle to score two more runs (UL, 5-2). UL went on to add 10 more runs in the inning to extend its lead to 15-2.
• Gonzalez doubled down the right field line and after moving to third, came around to score on Bockhaus' RBI groundout (UL, 15-3). Sims then recorded her third hit of the game with an infield single
Postgame Notes
• The meeting marked the 58th in the all-time series between the two clubs and the 26th in Mobile
• The 58 meetings are the most against any Sun Belt Conference member
• Brasher has made 136 consecutive starts, which is tied for ninth longest streak all-time at South Alabama
• The start was the 195th of Brasher's career, moving her into a tie for seventh all-time in the category with Emily Messer (2013-16)
• After being held to a combined eight hits over the first two games of the series, South Alabama posted ?? in Saturday's series finale
• With her first-inning single, Branstetter has reached base safely in six of her last eight, and has had at least one hit in five of her last nine outings
• Brasher has had at least one hit in three of her last six outings
• Brasher moved into a tie with former Jag
Kaleigh Todd's (75, 2015-18) for the career mark in stolen bases with her steal in the bottom of the third
• The three-hit performance marked the eighth multi-hit game of Sims', while Welch and Gonzalez recorded the 10th and fifth, respectively of their careers
• The 13 runs allowed by Jaguar pitching in the top of the eighth tied for the most allowed in a single inning in program history – at Arizona State in the fifth inning (2/27/09)
• Prior to the eighth inning, UL had recorded just seven hits through the first seven innings, but the Ragin' Cajuns sent 17 batters to the plate and recorded 11 hits in the frame
Up Next
• South Alabama will continue Sun Belt Conference play when the Jags head out on the road to take on ULM next weekend. Game one of the series is set to get underway on Friday at 6 p.m. at the ULM Softball Complex.
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