Offense and pitching share headlines in Louisiana’s Saturday softball sweep

20th-ranked Ragin’ Cajuns perfect Opening Weekend remains intact

LAFAYETTE – The No. 20-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team increased its season-opening win streak to three games, sweeping Saturday’s action in the 37th Annual Louisiana Classics at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park with a 12-1 (5 inn.) win over SFA and a 6-0 blanking of Lafayette College.

Louisiana (3-0) leaned on its offense in putting away SFA (2-1), plating four runs in an inning three times. The trio of Jourdyn Campbell, Karly Heath and Victoria Valdez combined for seven base hits and eight RBI.

The Ragin’ Cajuns relied on timely hitting and followed the lead of Kandra Lamb who struck out 12 and pitched no-hit softball into the seventh inning to master Lafayette College (0-4) for the second time over the weekend.

The production vs. SFA continued the team’s strong start at the plate, marking back-to-back games with double-digit runs to start the season. The pitching staff held both opposing offenses in check with a combined 23 strikeouts recorded by the combination of Meghan Schorman, Heath, Lamb and Tyler Oubre.

It was another quick start for the Ragin’ Cajuns as Campbell (3-for-3, double, 3 RBI) smashed a double off the first base bag for a 2-0 lead over SFA four batters into the contest. An inning later, her RBI triple sparked another four-spot that stretched the advantage to 8-0 after two complete.

Schorman (4.0 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 6 K) more than protected the lead as she scattered a pair of hits and struck out six Lumberjacks over the first three innings.

SFA got on the board in the top of the fourth, but Louisiana responded quickly with another four spot highlighted by run-scoring hits from Heath (2-for-3, double, 2 RBI), Lauren Allred and Laney Credeur to regain the run-rule margin.

Lamb (6.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 12 K) bought time for the offense to get untracked against Lafayette, tallying multiple strikeouts in each of the first three innings capped off by striking out the side in the third.

Heath (1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI) ended a scoreless affair in the fourth inning with her opposite field home run that opened a 2-0 edge over the Leopards.

Additional insurance for Lamb came in the next inning when Campbell (RBI grounder) and Sophie Piskos (RBI single) brought in runs to double the team’s game total.

Lamb brought her no-hit bid into the seventh inning and Allred (1-for-1, HR, 2 RBI) provided additional breathing room when her first collegiate home run increased the lead to 6-0 in the top of the seventh. Redshirt freshman Tyler Oubre shut down the Leopards after a leadoff single in the bottom of the seventh, notching three strikeouts in her first collegiate appearance in the pitching circle.

The win over Lafayette completed Louisiana’s two-game sweep of Saturday’s action in the Louisiana Classics and moved the Ragin’ Cajuns within two wins of the program’s 1,800th win all-time (will enter Sunday with 1,798 wins in program history).

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana concludes Opening Weekend of the 2023 season and play in the 37th Annual Louisiana Classics on Sunday, February 12 when the squad meets SFA in a 1:00 p.m. contest at Lamson Park.

The game is set to air live on ESPN+ while radio coverage is available in the Acadiana region on 103.3 FM and 1420 AM and worldwide through the Ragin’ Cajuns Digital Network (links available on softball schedule page at RaginCajuns.com).