For the second straight game Thursday, Middle Tennessee's softball team took better advantage of its opportunities than UL's 13th-ranked Ragin' Cajuns.
Because of that, the Cajuns are in a very unfamiliar position - looking up at the rest of the Sun Belt Conference.
Junior second baseman Ashley Cline's two-run homer off the left-field foul pole was the big hit in a three-run third inning, and pitcher Lindsey Vander Lugt made that stand up just enough for the Blue Raiders to take a 4-3 win over the Cajuns Thursday at Lamson Park.
Heading into Wednesday's Sun Belt doubleheader, MT had never won a game from UL in 29 previous tries. Now, with Wednesday's 5-3 second-game win, the Raiders became the first team in the league's seven-year softball history to take a series from the Cajuns (21-6, 1-2).
"It's huge for our program," said MT coach Leigh Podlesny. "Any time you beat a ranked team it's huge, but for it to be in your conference it's even more important. Even if the record hadn't been so much in their favor, it would still be a huge boost."
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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com