Ragin’ Cajuns blank Warhawks at Sun Belt Softball Tournament

Ragin’ Cajuns pile on four runs in decisive frame after a costly Warhawks miscue

TROY, Ala. – Sparked by a two-out, four-run rally in the third inning No. 14 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball broke free from ULM and captured a 7-0 win on Wednesday (May 12) in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at the Troy Softball Complex.

The win advanced top-seeded Louisiana (41-10) into the winner’s bracket of the tournament. On Thursday (May 13), the Ragin’ Cajuns will meet South Alabama (27-17) in a 10 a.m. contest.

Scoreless in the third inning, Sophie Piskos (2-for-3, 2 runs)raced home from third base on an errant pickoff attempt with two outs for the game’s first run. Then, the Ragin’ Cajuns took full advantage of the open-door opportunity the Warhawks (17-31) presented.

An RBI single from Kaitlyn Alderink, RBI double from Kendall Talley and RBI single from Justice Milz all followed in succession and Louisiana built a commanding 4-0 lead.

The next inning it was Alderink (2-for-3, 3 RBI) delivering another big moment when her bases-loaded fly ball to deep right field led to an off-balanced catch that allowed two runs to score, extending the advantage to 6-0.

Kandra Lamb (5.0 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 7 K) turned in a dominant effort for five innings in the circle, yielding a single hit and not allowing a single runner to successfully move past second base. After a two-out single in the second inning, Lamb retired the next eight Warhawks batters to establish control.

Karly Heath (2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R) shut down the ULM offense after the leadoff batter reached in the sixth inning, then worked around a two-out walk in the seventh inning to close the door in a key innings-saver relief effort.

DIAMOND NOTES
• Over the last four games, Sophie Piskos is batting .600 (6-for-10) at the plate.
• Wednesday’s performance extended the current hitting streak for Sophie Piskos to her season-best of five games.
• Kaitlyn Alderink collected her first 3 RBI-effort of the season, and her fifth multiple-RBI game overall.
• Since April 1, Kaitlyn Alderink is batting a team-leading .446 and has now posted 16 of her season total of 21 RBI during the stretch.
• Ciara Bryan swiped a season-high tying three stolen bases, increasing her team-and Sun Belt-leading total to 34 stolen bases.
• The first stolen base by Ciara Bryan in the third inning came on an attempted double steal that led to the errant throw to third base that allowed Sophie Piskos to score and break the scoreless tie.
• The seven strikeouts by Kandra Lamb marked her highest output since recording eight vs. Texas State on April 17. For Lamb, it was the 14th time in 24 starts that she reached or surpassed five strikeouts.
• Karly Heath made her first appearance in the pitcher’s circle since starting Game 2 of the April 5 doubleheader at Lamar. Wednesday’s relief effort extended her current string of consecutive scoreless innings pitched to four.
• Kandra Lamb and Karly Heath combined to record all 21 outs of the Ragin’ Cajuns pitching staff’s 16th shutout of the season (the 12th combined shutout effort for the staff).
• Louisiana improved to 36-0 when scoring five or more runs in a game in the 2021 season.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns have now advanced into the winner’s bracket of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament every year since 2010.
• Louisiana’s all-time record in the Sun Belt Conference tournament moved to 62-9 (.873).

UP NEXT
No. 14 Louisiana and South Alabama meet on Thursday (May 13) at the Troy Softball Complex in a 10 a.m. contest to determine which team advances to the winner’s bracket final of the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

Live video coverage is available on ESPN+, and Ragin’ Cajuns fans can also follow along on SportsRadio ESPN 1420-AM and at CajunStats.com.

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