LAFAYETTE — Sophomore Dayzja Williams came through in the clutch Thursday night, lifting Louisiana to a dramatic 2-1 extra-inning win over South Alabama in the series opener at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
With two runners on in the bottom of the eighth and the game knotted tied, Williams, a native of Alexandria, delivered a walk-off single to secure the victory for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
“It was a good feeling,” Williams said. “I feel like we needed this to keep the momentum going. Softball is just a game of ups and downs... today, we just came through, and it was just our momentum.”
The win snapped a string of close losses in conference play for Louisiana, who had dropped six of its nine Sun Belt losses by a single run. Despite leaving 12 runners on base—including three innings where the Cajuns loaded the bases—Louisiana finally broke through when it mattered most.
Senior outfielder Kayla Falterman, who went 2-for-3 and tied the game with an RBI in the seventh, said Williams’ hit was representative of the grit this team has shown.
“I freaking love Dayzja,” Falterman said. “We call ourselves the 'Little Lefties'. Not everybody thinks a little lefty is gonna get the RBI in the big moment like that. So for her to come up there and step up, I was just so proud of her.”
Head coach Alyson Habetz credited the team’s resilience, calling the win a potential shift in a season that’s featured plenty of near-misses.
“They talked about it in the huddle—Tyra (Clary) said it again after the game—this can be the turning point,” Habetz said. “We’ve been on the other side of these so many times. To keep fighting through and finally get the W in a game like this, I think it was a big deal.”
Thursday’s victory marked Louisiana’s 27th consecutive win over South Alabama. The Cajuns (21-22, 7-9 SBC) will look to extend that streak in game two on Friday night. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
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