Press Release
LAFAYETTE – Summer Ellyson tossed a four-hit shutout, fanning five batters, while Alissa Dalton went 2-for-3 with a run scored as the No. 22-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team blanked Georgia Southern, 2-0, in the first game of a Sun Belt Conference series on Saturday at Lamson Park.
In the nightcap, Hannah Farrell hit a two-out double off the center-field wall as Georgia Southern (24-21, 8-12 SBC) nipped Louisiana (30-12, 15-5 SBC), 3-2, in eight innings.
The series will conclude on Sunday at 11 a.m. Fans can hear the game on SportsRadio ESPN 1420-AM in the Acadiana region and worldwide on the ESPN 1420 app. A live video stream, produced by the Ragin’ Cajuns Digital Network, will be available at RaginCajuns.com/Watch.
GAME 1 – Louisiana 2, Georgia Southern 0
Ellyson (16-6) held Georgia Southern in check, allowing one hit over the final three innings and helping Louisiana record its 30th consecutive 30-win season dating back to 1989. The Lafayette native gave up hits in the first and third innings before Allyssa Mullis reached on a two-out double in the fourth.
Louisiana took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Lexie Comeaux led off with a double to right-center off Georgia Southern starter Rylee Waldrep (10-9), moved to third on a ground out and scored on Jolie Readeaux’s hard-hit single to third.
The Ragin’ Cajuns added an insurance run in the fifth inning when Dalton led off with a double before Brittany Rodriguez reached on a bunt single to third. Dalton would catch the Eagle defense napping as she raced towards home and slid in under the tag of Logan Harrell for a 2-0 lead.
Dalton, who went 2-for-3 to extend her hitting streak to 14 games, reached on an infield single in the third inning as Louisiana would finish the game with six hits.
GAME 2 – Georgia Southern 3, Louisiana 2 (8 innings)
Louisiana pounded out nine hits off Georgia Southern starter Kierra Camp (12-8), but the Ragin’ Cajuns hit into a pair of double plays and left nine runners on in dropping its third straight extra-inning contest.
The Eagles took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Shelby Wilson hit the third pitch off Louisiana starter Kylee Jo Trahan over the center-field fence for a home run.
Louisiana took advantage of a pair of Eagle errors in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead. Dalton led off the inning when she reached on an error before Kara Gremillion drew a one-out walk to put runners on first and second. Dalton extended the inning for Louisiana when she reached third on a two-out error and Readeaux followed with a bloop single down the left-field line to drive in Dalton and Gremillion.
Georgia Southern knotted the game in the third at 2-2 as Alesha Mann was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame before eventually scoring on a wild pitch with two outs.
Louisiana left a pair of runners on in the fourth inning after Dalton hit into a fielder’s choice before stranding two more in the seventh after the Ragin’ Cajuns had runners on the corners.
Mekhia Freeman led off the eighth inning with a walk off Casey Dixon (3-2) before eventually scoring from second when Farrell doubled over the head of Mass to the center-field fence and giving the Eagles a 3-2 lead.
Louisiana put runners on first and second in the bottom half of the inning as Kourtney Gremillion laced a single off Wilson at first before Carrie Boswell reached on a one-out infield single to third. But Camp, who threw 141 pitches in the game, got Casidy Chaumont to ground into a game-ending double play to third.
Comeaux, Gremillion, Readeaux and Boswell each had two hits for Louisiana with Rodriguez hitting a two-out double in the seventh.