PRESS RELEASE
LAFAYETTE – With a 5-3, 1-0 doubleheader sweep on Saturday at Lamson Park, 21st-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball completed a series sweep of ULM on Senior Weekend.
Louisiana (36-13, 21-6 Sun Belt) also remained alive for the Sun Belt Conference regular season championship after Texas State split its twinbill with UTA. The Ragin’ Cajuns can capture the title with a Bobcats loss on Sunday.
It was a four-run third inning that propelled Louisiana to the Game 1 triumph. Alissa Dalton, Carrie Boswell and Lexie Comeaux delivered three straight run-scoring hits for the decisive blow. Freshmen pitchers Casey Dixon and Carrie Boswell combined to lock up the series clincher.
In Game 2, Casidy Chaumont’s two-out RBI single in the second inning was the difference. Summer Ellyson, who tossed a 14-inning shutout Friday night, pitched five scoreless innings in relief to cap off her dominant series performance.
The Ragin’ Cajuns extended their school-and Sun Belt-record streak of consecutive conference series won to 46 straight dating back to March 2013. It’s the fifth straight season (2014-18) that the squad wins every SBC series.
UP NEXT
No. 21 Louisiana awaits its assignment for the Sun Belt Conference Tournament set for Wednesday-Saturday, May 9-12 at Lamson Park. The Ragin’ Cajuns, who have secured a Top 2 seed for the event, have a bye from opening day action and will begin play on Thursday, May 10.
THE BASICS OF GAME 1
Comeaux (2-for-3, RBI) and senior Kelli Martinez (2-for-2, 2 runs) both delivered a two-hit performance. Kara Gremillion, Dalton, Boswell and Comeaux each accounted for an RBI in the four-run third inning.
Dixon started and held ULM (24-28, 10-17 Sun Belt) to one earned run and two hits in four innings. Boswell worked the final three innings to record her first collegiate save.
Louisiana put pressure on the Warhawks to snap a scoreless tie in the third inning. Chaumont (walk) and Martinez (bunt single) each stole a base after reaching and quickly runners were at second and third with no outs.
Gremillion forced home the first run with a grounder to second, then Dalton began the hit parade which stretched the advantage to 4-0.
The Warhawks picked up two runs in the fourth inning, but made a miscue in the bottom half of the frame which gave the Ragin’ Cajuns an insurance run.
THE BASICS OF GAME 2
Senior Brittany Rodriguez (2-for-2, 1 run) collected a two-hit outing and scored the winning run off Chaumont’s single in the second inning.
Senior Kylee Jo Trahan started and set the tone in the circle with a pair of scoreless innings. Ellyson took over in the third inning and escaped her lone jam when the visitors came up empty after runners at second and third with no outs in the sixth inning.
Dalton (2-for-3) also had a two-hit game which included her team-leading 11th double of the season.
After Trahan stranded a Warhawks runner in scoring position each of the first two innings, the offense backed her up in the bottom of the second. With two outs Rodriguez doubled and Chaumont followed with the game-winning hit.
Ellyson controlled ULM the final five innings with the visitors only able to get single hits each of the final four frames.
NOTEWORTHY
– Summer Ellyson’s pitched 19 scoreless innings in under a 24-hour span during the series.
– Summer Ellyson extended her string of consecutive scoreless innings pitched at Lamson Park to 34-1/3 innings (dates back to Texas State finale).
– Summer Ellyson concluded the regular season 16-2 with a 1.01 ERA at home inside Lamson Park. On her home turf, she yielded just 21 runs and 69 hits over 125-1/3 innings pitched.
– Since April 1, the Ragin’ Cajuns pitching staff sports a 1.00 ERA over 70 innings pitched
at Lamson Park – site of the next week’s Sun Belt Tournament.
– Alissa Dalton picked up her team-best 20th multiple-hit game in the nightcap. Dalton’s 67 hits rank her Top 5 in the Sun Belt and among the Top 75 nationally.
– Kara Gremillion became the sixth Ragin’ Cajun to reach 20 RBI this season when she started the scoring in Game 1. She’s reached the 20-RBI mark for the third straight season.
– Casey Dixon has allowed just two earned runs over her last six appearances, a span of 22 innings.
– Brittany Rodriguez collected three hits in the series upping her career Division I total to 198. She’s added 47 hits this season to the 151 posted in two seasons at Lamar (2016-17).
– Louisiana improved to 17-8 in games decided by two runs or less (8-6 mark in one-run games).
– The Ragin’ Cajuns extended their series win streak over ULM, which dates back to the 2012 season, to 21 games. Louisiana now holds a 108-27 all-time series lead (30-5 in SBC regular season play).
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