Ragin’ Cajuns pick up fourth straight Sun Belt Regular Season Championship

Ragin’ Cajuns win and 19th overall in 22 seasons of completed play

LAFAYETTE – The No. 24-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team clinched the Sun Belt Conference regular season championship on Thursday, May 4 following a 5-1 win over ULM at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.

Louisiana (41-13, 20-2 SBC) picked up its fourth consecutive SBC regular season title under the guidance of Gerry Glasco (2019, 2021-23) and the program’s 19th overall in the 22 seasons of completed competition in league history.

The Ragin’ Cajuns stretched their current win streak to seven games, won for the 17th time in the past 20 games dating back to April 1, and moved within one win of extending their nation-leading total of consecutive conference series won which stood at 80 straight entering the series.

ULM (24-29, 7-15 SBC) would score first utilizing a two-out RBI single in the first inning, but Sophie Piskos delivered a quick answer for Louisiana with a solo home run in the home half of the frame to even the contest at 1-all.

Piskos’ home run marked the first of four straight innings with at least one score and Meghan Schorman held the Warhawks hitless until the sixth inning as the Ragin’ Cajuns took control.

The first three UL batters to the plate in the second inning reach base capped off by Maddie Hayden’s RBI single that broke the tie. In the next at bat, Victoria Valdez followed with a sacrifice fly deep down the left field line to up the edge to 3-1.

Schorman continued her relentless pursuit of locking down the title clincher as she retired the side in order in the third and fourth inning.

A solo home run from Lauren Allred in the third inning and Cecilia Vasquez ground-rule RBI double in the fourth inning tacked on additional insurance.

In her final weekend series start at Lamson Park, Schorman yielded just three hits and struck out nine over 6-2/3 innings in the circle.

Five different Cajuns posted an RBI including Hayden (2-for-3, RBI) who picked up where she left off one night after posting three RBI at Louisiana Tech.

Piskos picked up her fifth home run in Sun Belt play, delivering a tone-setting homer in a series opener for the second straight weekend. Allred took over the team lead in conference play with her seventh home run and posted her 11th overall.

Karly Heath (2-for-3) delivered her 15th multiple-hit game of the season starting with the leadoff double in the second inning that sparked the tiebreaking sequence. Heath raised her conference-only batting average to .411.

Thursday’s win moved the Ragin’ Cajuns to the 20-win mark in Sun Belt play for the eighth consecutive completed season (dates back to 2015).

UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana and ULM continue the regular-season ending series at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park on Friday, May 5 with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m.

The Ragin’ Cajuns will seek to advance its SBC regular season championship status to outright and has the first of two chances to extend its streak of consecutive Sun Belt Conference series won to 81 straight.

Television coverage is available on ESPN+. Fans in the Acadiana region can also keep up with the action with Cody Junot and Bobby Neveaux on the call on 103.3 FM and 1420 AM and worldwide on the Varsity Network. Live stats will be provided at CajunStats.com.

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