Cajuns beat Rutgers in weather-delayed Bubly Invitational

Louisiana takes opener in Gainesville with ease, forced to wait for anticipated matchup with Gators

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Laney Credeur and Kandra Lamb starred as the No. 24-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team opened play in the Bubly Invitational on Friday with a 3-0 win over Rutgers, but the night at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium was cut short after weather postponed the matchup with No. 12 Florida to Sunday (March 12).

The game schedule on Saturday (March 11) remained unchanged, so the Ragin’ Cajuns and Gators will eventually get their first bout in at 12:30 p.m. (CST) that afternoon. The rematch is now slated for 10:30 a.m. (CDT) on Sunday. Both games are set to air on SEC Network+.

Louisiana (15-8) followed the lead of Credeur and Lamb to the opening win in Gainesville early Friday afternoon, blanking Rutgers for the team’s fourth Power 5 win of the season and seventh win over a Top 100 RPI foe.

Credeur (2-for-3, double, 2 RBI) started the separation from the Scarlet Knights (17-5) with a two-out RBI single in the first inning that added to an already early lead gained by Mihyia Davis swiping two stolen bases and scoring on a wild pitch.

It was clutch two-out hitting from Credeur again in the third inning that brought home an insurance run. Her two-out RBI double that upped the lead to 3-0 came shortly after Rutgers had turned a double play and seemed to be closing in on wiping out a leadoff single.

That’s all the offense that was necessary for Lamb (5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 5 K) who stranded a pair of Scarlet Knights on the base path in both the first and second inning after starting her relief effort, then proceeded to dominate afterwards by sitting them down in order from the third through fifth inning.

Lamb’s pitching style had Rutgers’ lineup baffled and induced 12 fly outs. In each of the five complete innings she tossed (second through sixth), only four runners reached base and none moved past second base.

Reliever Georgia Ingle (4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 K) took over in the third after Credeur’s RBI double and gave Rutgers a chance. Lamb was equally tough and the Scarlet Knights weren’t able to make up any ground.

Chloe Riassetto pitched the seventh inning and collected her third save of the season as the pitching staff wrapped up its sixth shutout and held the opposition to two runs or less for the 13th time (in 23 games).

Lamb threw her longest since a six-inning effort on Opening Weekend vs. Lafayette College. She retired 12 straight batters during the time she took over the contest in the middle frames.

Louisiana improved to 6-5 at a neutral site in the 2023 season, winning for the fifth straight outing.

The Ragin’ Cajuns moved to 6-0 all-time against Rutgers which now includes a 3-0 record in neutral site matchups. The two programs met for the first time since the 2016 Ragin’ Cajuns Invitational at Lamson Park.

Lineups were set and the Ragin’ Cajuns and Gators were mere minutes away from a 5:40 p.m. (CST) start before the weather delay ensued and ultimately postponed the contest to Sunday.

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
No. 24 Louisiana has the first of now back-to-back doubleheader days in the Bubly Invitational on Saturday, March 11 starting with the 12:30 p.m. (CST) battle with the host-Gators (16-3) on SEC Network+.

The Ragin’ Cajuns then round out Saturday’s action with the Rutgers rematch that’s slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. (CST). No television coverage is available for the contest with the Scarlet Knights, but a radio broadcast will be carried on 103.3 FM The Goat and the Varsity Network.

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