Perfect Homestand for Louisiana Softball Ends with a Doubleheader Sweep
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With a start similar to the series opener and then a comeback effort No. 16 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball posted a 6-0, 7-3 doubleheader sweep of Georgia Southern at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park that polished off a series (and homestand) sweep.
As she did in Sunday's series opener, Kendall Talley gave Louisiana (22-6, 8-1 Sun Belt) a lead two batters into Game 1 with an RBI single that plated Ciara Bryan who led off with a walk. RBI singles from Jade Gortarez and Melissa Mayeux followed and increased the first-inning advantage to 3-0.
The trio of run-scoring hits provided more than enough offense to support Summer Ellyson and Casey Dixon who combined to limited Georgia Southern (7-14, 0-5 Sun Belt) to a single base hit. The pitching duo held the Eagles hitless over the final five innings as the Ragin' Cajuns picked up their 59th consecutive Sun Belt Conference series win.
Louisiana tallied nine stolen bases in the game, with the latter half of the total leading to a three-run surge that stretched the lead out to six runs over the team's final two trips to the plate.
The Ragin' Cajuns were put on the comeback trail in Game 2 after a pair of one-out baserunners led to the Eagles plating two runs in the second inning.
In the middle frames the offense came alive beginning after a first-pitch, leadoff home run from Gortarez in the bottom of the fourth inning gave Louisiana its first run of the contest.
Key walks drawn by Karly Heath and Sophie Piskos led to the bases being loaded then a sacrifice fly from Bryan pulled the Ragin' Cajuns even. The squad continued to pass the bat as Kaitlyn Alderink singled home Talley for the go-ahead run, then Alissa Dalton cleared the bases with a rocket shot through the right side stretching the lead to 5-2.
After a solo home run to start the fifth inning got one run back for the Eagles, Kandra Lamb and Heath combined to retire nine of the final 10 batters to secure the sweep.
DIAMOND NOTES
The nine stolen bases in Game 1 marked a season-high total for Louisiana. Ciara Bryan, Alissa Dalton and Frankie Izard each picked up two swipes.
Summer Ellyson and Casey Dixon combined for the Ragin' Cajuns pitching staff's ninth shutout of the 2021 season.
With 5-2/3 innings of scoreless softball in Game 1, Summer Ellyson extended her active streak of consecutive innings without allowing an earned run to 28 innings (dates back to re-entry in Game 2 of UT Arlington series).
Kendall Talley posted a pair of multiple hit games in the doubleheader and closed the set with the Eagles 5-for-10 at the plate. Talley stretched out her current hitting streak to six games.
With a 3-for-3 showing and three RBI in the nightcap, Ciara Bryan picked up her team-leading 14th multiple-hit game and fifth multiple-RBI outing of the season.
Karly Heath made her first start in the pitching circle as a Ragin' Cajun in Game 2.
As a team, Louisiana generated 10 base hits in the finale with the Eagles with seven different individuals contributing to the total.
In the series with Georgia Southern the Ragin' Cajuns produced 29 base hits, finishing with at least nine in all three games. Seven different players delivered multiple hits in the series led by Ciara Bryan's six on a .600 average (6-for-10).
Louisiana improved to 18-2 all-time vs. Georgia Southern which includes an 8-1 mark at Lamson Park (all Sun Belt games).
The series sweep of Georgia Southern marked the second of an opponent over a four-day homestand that started on Friday, March 26 against South Alabama.
The Ragin' Cajuns active Sun Belt series win streak, now at 59 consecutive, dates all the way back to March 2013.
