Home run power helps Ragin’ Cajuns advance to NCAA softball regional final

CLEMSON, S.C. With a 4-3 come-from-behind win over No. 17 Auburn on Saturday, May 21 at the Clemson Regional, the No. 22-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team secured its 14th consecutive trip to Championship Sunday of an NCAA Regional.

By picking up a win in an elimination game for the second time on Saturday the Ragin’ Cajuns (47-12) set up a meeting with No. 10 Clemson (41-15) for a ticket to the Super Regional round. The two teams begin play at 11:00 a.m. (CDT) on Sunday, May 22 with Louisiana needing two wins to advance.

Auburn (40-17) grabbed hold of the lead early with single runs in its first two at bats, however Meghan Schorman (7.0 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 6 K) clamped down and the Ragin’ Cajuns offense put on a power display to flip the momentum.

A leadoff home run from Melissa Mayeux (1-for-3, HR, RBI) in the second inning triggered Louisiana’s rally. In the next inning it was Jourdyn Campbell (1-for-3, HR, RBI) continuing the momentum shift with a solo shot of her own that evened the score at 2-all.

Meanwhile, Schorman was in the midst of beginning a string of four consecutive scoreless innings pitched the quickly took the Tigers’ bats out of the game. The Ragin’ Cajuns righty wouldn’t allow Auburn a runner past second base again until the seventh inning.

Louisiana’s comeback was completed in the fifth inning when Stormy Kotzelnick (1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI) launched a two-run home run to straightaway center off of reliever KK Dismukes. The blast was a critical response to an out of the box call and prevented the momentum in the inning from swaying over to the Tigers dugout.

Schorman worked around a leadoff double from Nelia Peralta in the sixth inning to keep the Tigers from responding.

The Tigers got a pair of base runners in the seventh inning, both reaching scoring position, but Schorman induced a pair of fly balls with only one run coming across and the Ragin’ Cajuns held on to land the victory.

THIS ‘N THAT
• Louisiana’s streak of consecutive Championship Sunday appearances, now at 14 straight, began back in 2008.
• Saturday’s sweep at the Clemson Regional marked the first time since 2018 that Louisiana claimed back-to-back elimination games to reach Championship Sunday.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns all-time record in the NCAA Tournament now stands at 83-64 – the wins total representing the 13th-most in NCAA history.
• Louisiana defeated Auburn for the first time in four tires in NCAA postseason play.
• Sunday’s matchup with Clemson marks the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
• Melissa Mayeux’s home run marked the Ragin’ Cajuns 80th home run of the season, marking the first time since 2017 the program reached the mark.
• On the go-ahead home run in the fifth inning, Stormy Kotzelnick reached double figures in home runs (10) and surpassed the 50-RBI mark (now at 51) in her first season of collegiate competition.
• Meghan Schorman faced only three batters over the minimum and struck out five during the critical four-inning stretch that she shut down the Tigers.