Landry-led Cajuns best Marshall in Sun Belt Softball Championship Game

One-hit shutout from Sam Landry locks up Louisiana’s fourth straight SBC Tournament title

LAFAYETTE – The No. 24-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team captured the program’s fourth consecutive Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship, and 18th overall in the 23-year history of the event, with a 1-0 win over Marshall on Saturday, May 13 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.

Sam Landry (7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 11 K) starred in the circle for Louisiana (46-13) carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning and Lauren Allred delivered the hero shot when she ended a scoreless stalemate in the fourth inning with a solo home run.

Landry set the tone for her commanding one-hit shutout in the first inning when her three strikeouts negated a two-out walk. Then after a leadoff walk in the second inning she kept the Thundering Herd (45-10) stuck in neutral by retiring 12 straight batters until a leadoff single in the sixth inning spoiled the no-hitter.

Marshall’s Sydney Nester matched Landry by taking a no-hitter of her own into the fourth inning before meeting up with Allred (2-for-3, HR, RBI) a second time. The Ragin’ Cajuns freshman slugger swung at the first pitch immediately driving it over the right field wall for the first hit allowed in the contest and the run that would make Louisiana a winner.

The 1-0 score held the remainder of the contest as a double play turned by The Herd in the fifth kept the Cajuns from adding insurance, Landry got a key strikeout looking with the tying run in scoring position in the top of the sixth and Nester danced around a bases loaded jam with a strikeout in the bottom of the sixth.

Landry, who faced only four over the minimum, closed out her masterpiece by striking out the side in the seventh to reach her first double digit strikeout performance since Opening Weekend. It was the first complete game shutout by a Cajuns pitcher in the SBC Tournament title game since 2019 (Summer Ellyson).

The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award was presented to Landry who in two starts yielded a single run, three hits and struck out 18 over 14 innings. She was joined on the all-tournament team by Jourdyn Campbell and Maddie Hayden.

The win stretched Louisiana’s season-high winning streak to 12 games and was the squad’s 22nd win in the past 25 games (since April 1).

Saturday’s triumph extended Louisiana’s Sun Belt Tournament win streak, which dates back to the 2019, to 14 games and moved the program to 72-9 all-time in the event.

Louisiana claimed the Sun Belt’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament, securing the program’s 24th consecutive appearance and 32nd overall in the event which begins with the regional round from Friday-Sunday, May 19-21 at campus sites.

The field of 64 teams will be announced on Sunday, May 14 at 6:00 p.m. (CDT) on ESPN2.

FOLLOW THE RAGIN’ CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin’ Cajuns on Facebook (/RaginCajunsSB), Twitter (@RaginCajunsSB) and Instagram (@Louisiana.SB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Softball.