LAFAYETTE – The No. 23-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team captured the series win over App State with a 4-0 win guided by Meghan Schorman’s three-hit shutout, but settled for a doubleheader split on Saturday, March 25 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park as the Mountaineers claimed a 5-3 decision in the nightcap.
The Game 1 win for Louisiana (23-10, 5-1 SBC) clinched the program’s 75th consecutive Sun Belt series victory – a nation-best streak that’s now a decade running (dates back to March 2013). The Ragin’ Cajuns entered the day with an edge in the series following Friday night’s 8-0 (5 inn.) win.
Schorman (7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 7 K) managed traffic over the first three innings and retired the Mountaineers in order in fourth inning before the offense picked her up in the scoreless affair.
Louisiana got the bulk of the runs needed to knock App State’s Kaylie Northrop out of the pitcher’s duel on Sophie Piskos’ two-run double in the fourth inning and Lauren Allred’s RBI triple in the sixth inning.
The Mountaineers were never able to advance a runner past first base the entire contest. Schorman took a string of 10 consecutive batters retired into the seventh inning as her teammates built a commanding 4-0 lead.
The shutout was Schorman’s third complete game effort of the season and the pitching staff’s fifth blanking in the month of March. Piskos picked up her fourth multiple-RBI effort in Sun Belt play.
The doubleheader-opening shutout marked the fifth straight meeting at Lamson Park that Louisiana kept App State off the scoreboard.
The Ragin’ Cajuns were pushed into comeback mode from the start in Game 2 as the Mountaineers (16-10, 1-3 SBC) grabbed ahold of the lead in the first inning on Taylor Thorp’s three-run home run.
Sam Landry (4.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 5 K) settled down over the next three innings and kept the Mountaineers off the board the remainder of her time in the circle.
The offense chipped away at the deficit in the third inning manufacturing runs off a Piskos infield single and Jourdyn Campbell bunt and Kandra Lamb kept it a 3-2 game by inducing a pop up to end a two-out App State rally in the fifth inning.
Alexa Langeliers pulled Louisiana even in the bottom of the sixth inning, bringing home Piskos (leadoff single) who entered scoring position on Campbell’s sacrifice bunt. Later in the inning, the Mountaineers used their defense to prevent the Ragin’ Cajuns from slipping home the go-ahead run.
App State regained the lead, though, in the seventh inning taking advantage of a pair of Louisiana miscues to set up Mary Pierce Barnes’ two-run single that returned the lead to the visitors at 5-3. Delani Buckner entered the circle in the bottom half and retired Cajuns in order to preserve the lead.
Piskos picked up at least one RBI for the fifth straight SBC game and upped her team-leading RBI total in conference play to 10 RBI. Lamb was saddled with the hard-luck defeat as the two runs charged to her in the seventh inning were both unearned.
Louisiana was dealt just its second loss of the season to a unranked team (first since Feb. 17 vs. Michigan). App State picked up its first-ever win at Lamson Park in nine tries, the Ragin’ Cajuns now holding an 8-1 edge all-time at home against the Mountaineers.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
No. 23 Louisiana travels to Harrisonburg, Virginia to meet James Madison in Sun Belt Conference play for the first time. The Ragin' Cajuns and Dukes are scheduled to play a three-game series from Friday-Saturday, March 31-April 2 at JMU's Veterans Memorial Park.
Louisiana and JMU are set for a series of afternoon games during the weekend set, starting at 1:00 p.m. (CDT) on Friday, continuing at 11:00 a.m. (CDT) on Saturday and concluding at 2:00 p.m. (CDT) on Sunday.
The Friday and Sunday games are airing on ESPN+. Radio coverage of all three games is slated for 103.3 FM The Goat and the Varsity Network.
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.
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