On the day that Easter was celebrated at Lamson Park, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team delivered a little extra magic when it mattered most.
McKayla Ferguson lined a walk-off single in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Louisiana to a 5–4 victory over Troy and secure the Sun Belt Conference series victory in dramatic fashion on Saturday, April 4.
Locked in a back-and-forth battle in the latter stages of the contest, the Ragin’ Cajuns (22-17, 5-7 SBC) saved their final punch for extra innings.
With two outs and the winning run on standing 60 feet away from home plate, Ferguson stepped to the plate and delivered the decisive hit that brought home the winning run, sending the Lamson Park crowd into celebration and giving Louisiana a second straight win to close out Easter weekend.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The contest was a grind from the opening pitch as Troy (23-14, 5-7 SBC) collected the first run and hits of the day for either side in the third inning, getting an RBI single from Makaley Boswell to take a 1-0 lead. The Trojans continued to apply pressure with runs in the fourth and fifth innings to build a 3–0 advantage.
Louisiana answered in the fifth inning with a rally sparked by Kennedy Marceaux and Haley Hart. After Erin Ardoin reached and Marceaux singled, Hart delivered a key base hit that was misplayed in the outfield, allowing two runs to score and bringing the Cajuns back into the game.
Mia Norwood followed with a run-scoring fielder’s choice that leveled the scored at 3-all before the Trojans could escape the bottom of the fifth.
The two sides remained deadlocked until the Trojans briefly reclaimed the lead in the seventh inning on Presley Ivey’s sacrifice fly after a lengthy weather delay had halted play.
Louisiana quickly found an answer to stay alive. The Ragin’ Cajuns tied the contest in the bottom of the seventh on Brooke Otto’s RBI single, forcing extra innings and setting the stage for the late heroics.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
At the plate, Marceaux led Louisiana with two hits and scored twice, while Hart also produced two hits during the Cajuns’ seven-hit effort.
Ferguson’s walk-off single was her first of the contest and an example of the resilient afternoon for the Ragin’ Cajuns — one that showcased timely hitting. Louisiana collected four of its seven hits over its final two at bats, the spark used to overcome the Trojans.
In the circle, Sage Hoover and Julianne Tipton combined to navigate Troy’s 11-hit attack. Hoover worked the first three-plus innings before re-entering later to secure the victory.
Hoover and Tipton combined to strand 12 Trojans base runners – multiple times preventing Troy from finding the timely swing that Louisiana ultimately delivered in the eighth.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana heads out on the road for its week-long Spring Break trip in the Shenandoah Valley, visiting No. 17 Virginia on Wednesday, April 8 before a Sun Belt Conference series at James Madison from Friday-Sunday, April 10-12.
The matchup with UVA in Charlottesville is set for 5:00 p.m. (CDT) on ACC Network Extra. UL and JMU open the SBC series in Harrisonburg on Friday at 4:00 p.m. (CDT), followed by matchups on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. (CDT) and Sunday at 11:00 a.m. (CDT), each game airing on ESPN+.
Radio coverage is available for all games on The GOAT 103.3 FM and 1420 AM in the Acadiana region and worldwide on Varsity Network with Cody Junot (pxp) and Bobby Neveaux (analyst) providing commentary.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Facebook (/RaginCajunsSB [facebook.com]), Twitter (@RaginCajunsSB [twitter.com]) and Instagram (@Louisiana.SB [instagram.com]) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Softball.
Fans are encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here [apps.apple.com] for iOS/Apple platforms and here [play.google.com] for Android platforms.
Louisiana Softball season and single-game tickets are currently on sale, outfield general admission seating only, available for purchase online at RaginCajuns.com/tickets [ragincajuns.evenue.net] or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685). Fans can support the softball student athletes, and invest in the program's future, through The Cajuns Edge Fund (click here [ragincajuns.evenue.net]) to contribute directly to the Louisiana Athletics and Ragin' Cajuns Athletic Foundation's revenue-sharing initiative or by joining the Centerfield Club (click here [ragincajuns.evenue.net]).