LAFAYETTE – A home run from Alexa Langeliers assured the 24th-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team of moving to 10-0 in Sun Belt Conference play, a mark achieved with a 5-3 win over James Madison on Friday, April 5 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
Langeliers’ two-run launch in the third inning snapped a 1-all tie and wound up being the scoring differential in the Sun Belt series opener between the Ragin’ Cajuns (25-13, 10-0 SBC) and Dukes (21-14, 5-5 SBC).
Sam Landry (5.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 4 K) worked around six hits and three walks and got the timely outs when needed including stranding the bases loaded in the fourth inning of a 3-2 contest. Chloe Riassetto (2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 K) quieted JMU after a leadoff homer in the sixth and went on to collect her fifth save of the season.
The win was the seventh straight for Louisiana and it sets up the squad with two chances to extend its streak of consecutive SBC series won to 85. More importantly, the Cajuns maintain their two-game edge over Texas State in the conference standings.
UL set the tone in the first inning with Laney Credeur’s leadoff ground-rule double leading to a tally. The Dukes drew even in the second inning, but in what would be a developing trend the Cajuns answered with Langeliers’ home run to regain the lead for good.
After JMU pushed across a run in the fourth with a bases loaded walk, the Cajuns turned leadoff hits in the fourth (Maddie Hayden) and fifth (Mihyia Davis) into insurance runs stretching the lead out to 5-2.
Seven of Louisiana’s nine batters in the lineup posted at least one hit led by Davis’ 2-for-4 showing which marked her team-leading 18th multiple-hit game. Now at 55 hits for the season, Davis continues to rapidly approach a second consecutive 70-hit season.
Langeliers moved into the tie for the team lead in home runs (6) and RBI (27) with her decisive blast in the third. It was her team-high tying eighth multiple-RBI game.
Landry remained unbeaten in SBC play, now standing at 7-0. The junior right-hander from Mont Belvieu, Texas improved to 26-1 within the league in her collegiate career.
Louisiana and JMU met in a Sun Belt Conference game at Lamson Park for the first time. The Ragin’ Cajuns remained perfect (now 4-0) in SBC play against the Dukes.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana and James Madison meet at 4:00 p.m. at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park on Saturday, April 6 for game two of the SBC series.
The Ragin' Cajuns will be honoring the Women's College World Series teams (1993, 1995, 1996, 2003, 2008, 2014) with a representative from each squad throwing out a ceremonial first pitch.
Live video coverage is available on ESPN+ while a radio broadcast can be heard in the Acadiana region on The Goat 103.3 FM and 1420 AM and worldwide on The Varsity Network.
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