Softball: Cajuns Sweep Georgia State in Sun Belt Opening Doubleheader
ATLANTA, Ga. – The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team opened Sun Belt Conference action with a doubleheader sweep of Georgia State, at the Heck Softball Complex, defeating the Panthers, 8-3, and 4-2 on Saturday afternoon.
The Cajuns (21-6-1) got five hits from Natalie Fernandez (5-for-6), who improved her season batting average to a conference-best .529 (46-for-87), a mark that would rank fifth in the nation as of statistics reported on March 16. Fernandez went 2-for-3 in game one with two runs scored and 3-for-3 in the second game.
Freshman Haley Hayden picked up two RBI in the first game, adding to her conference lead, 33 RBI on the season.
Junior pitching duo Christina Hamilton and Jordan Wallace each picked up a win on the day, with Hamilton throwing 7.1 shutout innings in both games combined, also picking up a save in the second game, lowering her season ERA to 1.12.
Hamilton picked up her 10th win of the season in game one, tossing 6.1 innings allowing two hits, while walking one and striking out six batters.
The Cajuns scored eight runs in the first five innings behind Hamilton, coming within one out of ending the game early with the mercy rule, leading 8-0. Sophomore pitcher Victoria Brown came in relief in the fifth, allowing a hit and a walk before picking up a strikeout and a flyout, but allowed a three-run homer to GSU’s Taylor Anderson to extend the game to the sixth.
Hamilton reentered the game following the home run and shutdown the Panthers, sending down six of the next seven batters.
The Cajuns scrapped together their eight runs in game one, scoring four in the third inning, three in the fourth inning and one in the fifth.
Hayden singled with the bases loaded in the third to score Shellie Landry and open the scoring. The Cajuns added three more runs in the inning including two wild pitches in the same at-bat, and a run on a double play.
They added to the score in the fourth inning, with Hayden picking up her second RBI of the game with a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and a two-run single by Lexie Elkins, and scored their eighth run the next inning with a solo-home run by Kelsey Vincent, to 8-3.
The Panthers took an early lead in game two with a solo-home run in the first inning from Lauren Coleman, but the Cajuns responded in their next at-bat with a solo-home run of their own, from Samantha Walsh, her first of the season.
Coleman struck again in the third inning to give the Panthers the lead again, with an RBI double, making it 2-1.
The score stayed the same for two innings before the Cajuns scored three unanswered runs in the fifth and sixth innings, taking a 4-2 lead. The Cajuns scored their third run of the day off an errant pitch, with Meagan Thomas scoring on a passed ball, and got two more runs in the sixth, off a sac fly from Sara Corbello, and an RBI single from Corin Voinché.
After Wallace walked the leadoff batter in the seventh, the Cajuns brought in Hamilton to close out the game. Hamilton allowed the first batter to reach on an error before getting a groundout, two strikeouts including the game-ending strikeout with the bases loaded.
The Cajuns and Panthers will return to the diamond tomorrow for a stand-alone game with first pitch scheduled for noon (EST). The Cajuns will then head to Houston, Texas for a midweek doubleheader against Houston on March 26, before returning home to continue Sun Belt action with Texas State at Lamson Park from March 29-30.
— www.RaginCajuns.com —
Nick Ross
Sports Information Assistant
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