Softball: Top 10-Ranked Ragin’™ Cajuns and Longhorns Swap Wins in Austin

Louisiana Softball splits doubleheader with Texas to start week of Top 10 matchups

AUSTIN, Texas – No. 7 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball split a pair of one-run games with third-ranked Texas on Tuesday at McCombs Field, as a week-long stretch of Top 10 matchups got underway.

Bailey Curry provided the offense in Game 1 as Megan Kleist out-dueled Miranda Elish in a 3-2 win for Louisiana (12-4). Curry blasted a three-run home run in the fifth inning to make a winner out of Kleist who held the Longhorns scoreless (16-2) after their first at bat until a two-out, run-scoring single in the seventh inning.

In Game 2 it was the hosts getting a wind-aided RBI double in the fifth inning to break a tie and edge the Ragin’ Cajuns and Summer Ellyson, 2-1.

Curry was the lead performer for Louisiana at the plate in the twinbill, as she added a solo home run in the nightcap. She finished the day 2-for-5 with two home runs and had all four of Louisiana’s RBI.

Kleist (5-3, 1.54 ERA) scattered six hits and struck out four. She took control after the first inning, not allowing a Longhorn to pass second base until the final frame.

For the seventh time in eight starts, Ellyson (7-1, 1.33 ERA) held the opposition to two runs or less. Aside from three consecutive hits in the second inning which led to a run, she kept the Longhorns off balance the entire evening.

The win in the opening game of Tuesday’s doubleheader stretched the Ragin’ Cajuns winning streak to five games – the second such occurrence this season (Feb. 8-15).

Louisiana and Texas met in Austin for the first time since March 2013.

DIAMOND NOTES

Louisiana moved to 5-3 on its current 11-game road trip which began Sunday, Feb. 15 at Louisiana State.
The Ragin’ Cajuns are now 3-3 against ranked foes – all contests coming against Top 10 teams.
Bailey Curry became the fifth Ragin’ Cajun to hit multiple home runs in the season’s first month. She moved into the tie for the team lead, joining Sarah Hudek and Julie Rawls, with three home runs.
It was the first occurrence of back-to-back games with a home run for Bailey Curry since hitting one in all three games of the South Alabama series last season.
Megan Kleist and Summer Ellyson combined to hold the Longhorns to a .269 avergae in the doubleheader. Texas entered the night hitting .422 through the first 16 games.
The Game 1 victory marked the third time in the past five days that Louisiana rallied to win a contest in the fifth inning or later. Last weekend in Birmingham, the Ragin’ Cajuns erased a 3-1 deficit entering the fifth inning vs. Ole Miss, and rallied from a 4-3 deficit in the sixth vs. UAB.

UP NEXT
No. 7 Louisiana makes its way to Gainesville, Fla., for a three-game weekend series with No. 6 Florida (16-2) scheduled for Friday-Sunday, Feb. 28-March 1 at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium. The series will be broadcast on SEC Network Plus.

The Ragin’ Cajuns and Gators open the series on Friday at 5 p.m. (CST).

Next Game:

at Florida

2/28/2020 | 5 p.m. (CST)

ESPN 1420 AM