LAFAYETTE – Steered by Meghan Schorman in the circle and boosted by a big swing from Sophie Piskos the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team claimed a 5-1 midweek victory over Houston on Wednesday, April 27 as the season’s final homestand began at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
Schorman (5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 8 K) retired the side in order in three of the five full innings she worked and faced only three batters over the minimum. The only time the Cougars (24-23-1) moved a runner past second base was on a leadoff home run in the fifth inning.
Piskos (3-for-3, HR, 2 RBI) gave Louisiana (35-11) and Schorman all the separation needed when she launched a two-run home run down the left field line for a 3-0 advantage in the third inning.
After Houston got on the board with the fifth inning home run, the Ragin’ Cajuns had a quick response as base hits from Alexa Langeliers and Melissa Mayeux led to a pair of insurance runs crossing the plate.
The win extended Louisiana’s home winning streak to seven games and was the squad’s 20th win in the past 24 games, overall, since March 16.
Louisiana increased its series win streak over Houston to three games and remained undefeated (10-0) at Lamson Park against the Cougars.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Ragin’ Cajuns jumped on the board in the second inning after a walk and Kramer Escehte single put runners on the corners with no outs. Kayla Falterman’s grounder to second base, although resulting in a double play, pushed across pinch runner Raina O’Neal for a 1-0 lead.
Schorman zipped through the first four innings retiring 12 of the first 13 batters that she faced. She was afforded a comfortable margin following Piskos’ home run in the third inning.
After the Cougars’ Becca Schulte put up a run on the board with her solo homer in the fifth inning, Schorman promptly retired the next three batters to resume control.
Piskos’ third hit of the night sparked the two-run rally in the fifth inning that created further distance. A sharply hit single from Langeliers was misplayed allowing pinch runner Taylor Roman to score and Mayeux followed up with an RBI double to plate Langeliers upping the lead to 5-1.
Kandra Lamb (2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K) sewed up the win with a pair of shutdown innings, the lone blemish a two-out bloop infield single in the seventh inning.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BOX SCORE
Schorman (11-4, 2.13 ERA) won for the third consecutive start, a streak which started with her near-perfect game last Monday at St. Louis. Over her last three starts (St. Louis, App State, Houston), Schorman has yielded only three runs, nine base hits and a .150 average while striking out 33 over 17 innings.
The 12 strikeouts combined between Schorman and Lamb marked the pitching staff’s fourth consecutive game and eighth time in the past 10 outings with double-digit punchouts.
Piskos homered for the third time in the past five games increasing her season total to eight home runs. She extended her season-best hitting streak to seven games, picked up her 11th multiple-hit game and recorded her ninth multiple-RBI game.
The two RBI for Piskos allowed her to join the 30 RBI-club. She’s the fifth Ragin’ Cajun to reach the mark, joining Stormy Kotzelnick (35), Karly Heath (34), Alexa Langeliers (32) and Jourdyn Campbell (31).
Houston turned three double plays in the contest to remain within striking distance. Twice, in the second inning and fourth inning, the Cougars turned two work around the first two Ragin’ Cajuns reaching base.
UP NEXT
Louisiana wraps up its 2022 home schedule at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park hosting Coastal Carolina (18-24, 4-14 Sun Belt) in a three-game Sun Belt Conference series from Friday-Saturday, April 29-30 for Senior Weekend.
The series is now a 6:00 p.m. single game on Friday (April 29) and 2:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday (April 30).
The team's seniors (Melissa Mayeux, Ari Quiñones and Raina O’Neal) are being recognized on Saturday in a pregame ceremony.
All three games with the Chanticleers are being televised on ESPN+. Radio coverage is available on ESPN Lafayette 103.3 FM and 1420 AM in the Acadiana region and worldwide on the ESPN Lafayette app.
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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