In a game where the lead swapped hands four times, each time immediately, No. 14 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball outlasted Houston for a 12-5 win on Wednesday at the Cougar Softball Stadium that stretched the team’s winning streak to 14 games and completed a sweep of three consecutive days of games in Texas.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (29-6) had to overcome a late-game momentum shift that was in favor of the Cougars (10-22) after a pair of two-run home runs in the fifth inning pulled the hosts ahead 5-3.
Louisiana wasted little time grabbing the momentum back by loading the bases four batters in to the next half inning. Following a wild pitch and a Ciara Bryan RBI single the contest was quickly evened at 5-all.
The Ragin’ Cajuns kept the pressure on as Kendall Talley laid down a squeeze bunt that resulted in a missed tag at home plate that rolled away allowing two additional runs to score for a 7-5 advantage.
Jade Gortarez placed the exclamation point on the huge run production for Louisiana in the decisive sixth inning as she lifted a two-run home run to center field expanding the lead to 9-5. An inning later, Melissa Mayeux delivered a three-run home run to close the scoring.
Summer Ellyson (2.0 IP, 3 R, 4 H) settled in after the Cougars’ uprising when she relieved Kandra Lamb by tossing a scoreless sixth inning to prevent any response by the home squad. Casey Dixon (1.0 IP, 0 R, 0H) closed the door in the seventh by working around a leadoff walk.
By earning the win in relief, Ellyson claimed her 85th career victory moving her past Melissa Coronado (84 wins from 1999-2002) for sole possession of fifth place on the program’s career listing.
The twists and turns to the day started early when Houston began the game with a solo home run in its first at bat. Bailey Curry (single) and Kaitlyn Alderink (double), who each turned in two-hit efforts, reached base in the second inning to start the Ragin’ Cajuns first rally of the day that was capped off by and RBI triple from Sophie Piskos.
A two-out RBI single by Julie Rawls increased the lead to 3-1, seemingly providing valuable insurance until the Cougars rattled off four straight hits to start the bottom half which resulted in the lead change that forced the Ragin’ Cajuns to have to rally again.
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