Softball: Craighton’s grand slam lifts UL to Sun Belt title

Tim Buckley, The Advertisr, May 14, 2016

 

UL centerfielder Aleah Craighton’s fourth-inning grand slam was just the crushing blow No. 9 UL needed to finish off Texas State in a 12-0 SBC tourney title game win on Saturday at Jaguar Field here.(Photo: Sun Belt Conference)

 

MOBILE, Ala. — With the bases loaded and a Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship practically in the bag, it seems unimaginable to not at least ponder the possibility of putting one over the fence.

UL centerfielder Aleah Craighton, however, suggests she was not thinking about it — and certainly not going for it.

“I was just looking for a pitch that I could hit hard,” she said.

Either way, Craighton certainly did that.

The resulting grand slam, which extended a seven-run Cajun lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, was just the crushing blow No. 9 UL needed to finish off Texas State in a 12-0 SBC tourney title game win on Saturday at Jaguar Field here.

The candle on Craighton’s cake?

Both the grand slam and a two-run triple in the first inning came the day before she turns 21, prompting teammates to sing “Happy Birthday” and hoist her high as they bounced about and celebrated UL’s 13th Sun Belt Tournament title.

Craighton went 6-for-9 with nine RBI (including six Saturday) and three runs scored in three tourney games — good for Most Outstanding Player honors for the third-year sophomore from Dutchtown High.

Joining her from UL on the All Tournament Team: second baseman Haley Hayden, who was 4-for-10 with two RBI and six runs scored; first baseman Kelsey Vincent, who had a two-run homer Saturday and finished 3-for-8 with six RBI and four runs scored; and pitcher Macey Smith, who finished off a no-hitter while recording all 15 outs Saturday.

For Craighton, the power came mainly from sticking with her usual approach.

Although, truth be told when probed, she might have had a certain subconscious thought when producing the grand slam that marked her 17th home run of the season.

“On that one I was really sitting in,” she said of a 1-1 offering. “I was looking for that pitch.

“But the rest of the at-bats, my mentality is just to compete. … Our plan at the plate is to win the pitch, and obviously we won the pitch a lot.”

As a result, 43-7 UL heads to the NCAA Tournament — pairings come out Sunday night — feeling awfully good about itself.

The Cajuns went 3-0 in the tourney, winning 13-1 against Georgia State on Thursday but going back and forth before beating the same Texas State team they faced in the finals 9-7 on Friday.

“I think this tournament prepares us for what we are going to see in the NCAA Tournament – just teams that are gonna go at us,” Craighton said. “They’re gonna give us their best, and we have to find a way through it.”