The 19^th ranked Ragin’ Cajuns trailed for five and half innings to start the day, but went to dominate the next seven-plus in two wins over Sun Belt foe Troy.

The Cajuns (26-5, 4-1) topped the Trojans (19-14, 1-4) in game one by a score of 5-2 before downing the Trojans 8-0 in six innings in game two.

Ashley Brignac threw two complete games, allowing just one earned run all day, and just one hit in game two.

Brianna Cherry, in her third and fourth starts of the season, went a combined 4-for-6 in the two games with a triple, her first career home run and three RBI.  The Cajuns as a team posted 18 hits on the day while allowing just six to Troy.

GAME ONE – Louisiana 5, Troy 2

The Cajuns trailed for five and a half innings, but used a five-run, five-hit sixth inning to top the Trojans 5-2.

Ashley Brignac (13-2) went the distance for UL in game one, giving up two runs, one earned on five hits with four strikeouts.  Christi Orgeron posted two base hits, with four other Cajuns getting one each.

Troy would get on the board first when Sarah Harris hit a solo home run to lead off the second inning.  The home run was the first of the season for Sarah Harris.

Two leadoff walks would hurt the Cajuns in the third inning as an ensuing error allowed the Trojans to plate another run and take a 2-0 lead. The Trojans had runners on the corners with one out, but Brignac induced a double play ball to Nerissa Myers at shortstop who flipped to Paige Cormier at second.  Cormier then fired on to Gabriele Bridges to limit the damage to one run and get UL out of the third trailing to 2-0.

Through five innings, the Cajuns had stranded three runners and that 2-0 Troy lead stood.  However, in the sixth, Bridges and Orgeron each hit one-out singles and advanced to second and third on a passed ball.  Cormier followed with an RBI single that plated Megan Waterman to pull the Cajuns within one at 2-1.

UL would then use two extra base hits to get the lead that they would not relinquish.  Sarah Draheim delivered the first, a two-RBI triple off the right field wall to give UL a 3-2 lead.  With Draheim standing on third, Brianne Cherry hit her first career home run, a two-out shot that gave the Cajuns a 5-2 lead.

In the big sixth inning, the Cajuns sent 10 batters to the plate, scoring five runs on five hits.

Brignac continued to roll in the seventh as she posted her fourth consecutive scoreless inning to close out the Trojans.

Ashlyn Williams (8-8) got the loss in a complete-game effort for the Trojans.

GAME TWO – Louisiana 8, Troy 0 (6 innings)

Brignac threw her second consecutive complete game, this one in a six inning 8-0 win over the Trojans in game two.

Brignac (14-2) gave up just one hit while shutting out the Trojans and striking out three.

Orgeron and Cherry each had three hits for the Cajuns while Orgeron posted three RBI.

This time the Cajuns got out to the early lead as they plated one run in the first inning of game two.  Things started when Bridges drew her 33^rd walk of the season with one-out.  Orgeron then singled up the middle to put runners on first and second. 

Bridges advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI fielder’s choice by Cormier, giving UL a 1-0 lead.

Draheim led off the fourth inning with a walk and scored on a triple by Cherry to put UL up 2-0.  The lead would extend to 3-0 when Cherry scored on an RBI ground out by Katie Smith .

The Cajuns would add two more in fifth inning, thanks to a two-run home run off of Orgeron’s bat.  The blast, her 13^th of the season, scored Orgeron and Bridges who doubled just before the shot.  The two RBI gave Orgeron 50 on the season and out UL up 5-0.

The Cajuns would finish off the game, scoring three runs in the sixth inning to win 8-0 in mercy-rule fashion. A Trojan error, followed by singles from Erikka Murphy, Myers, Bridges and Orgeron gave the Trojans the three runs they needed to end the game.

After giving up a hit in the third inning and a walk in the fourth, Brignac retired seven in row to close out the Trojans.

Morgan Grove (6-3) was shouldered with the loss for Troy.

The Cajuns and Trojans will close out their three-game Sun Belt series on Sunday when they meet for a single game at 12 noon at Lamson Park.

— Ragin’ Cajuns —