Softball: Late Errors Costly As Cajuns Fall To Ducks In Twinbill

EUGENE, Ore. – Janelle Lindvall lifted a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning to score Jenna Lilley and help No. 2-ranked Oregon rally for a 2-1 victory over the No. 9-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team, completing a three-game sweep on Saturday at Howe Field.
 
In the opener, Koral Costa went 2-for-2 and drove in four runs as Oregon built a 5-0 lead after two innings and earned a 10-2 victory in five innings.
 
Louisiana (34-8) will close out the regular-season May 2-3 when it travels to Monroe to face ULM. The teams will play a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday before at noon on Sunday.
 
GAME 2 – No. 2 Oregon 2, No. 9 Louisiana 1 (8 innings)
Lindvall’s game-winning RBI for Oregon (41-5) came after Lilley opened the top of the eighth inning with a single off Louisiana starter Jordan Wallace (14-4) before an attempted sacrifice bunt by Hailey Decker blooped past Wallace for a base hit. After Geri Ann Glasco reached on an error back to the circle, Lindvall hit the first pitch to the warning track in left field and allowing Lilley to score ahead of the throw from Shellie Landry.
 
Louisiana took a 1-0 lead on a two-out RBI single by Leandra Maly that scored Aleah Craighton and held the lead until Oregon capitalized on a wild pitch and a pair of errors in the seventh inning to send the game to extra innings.
 
Costa opened the seventh-inning rally when she hit a one-out double in front of a diving Kelli Martinez before being thrown out at home after Danica Mercado reached on an error by Kelsey Vincent. Pinch-hitter Gwen Svekis drew a walk to put runners on first and second before a wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position.
 
Nikki Udria then hit a grounder that was misplayed by Haley Hayden, allowing Mercado to score and tie the game at 1-1.
 
Cheridan Hawkins (23-3), the fourth pitcher used by Oregon in the game, earned the win after pitching 1.1 scoreless innings with one hit and three strikeouts. Glasco scattered four hits and fanned two for the Ducks before being lifted in the fifth inning after a 56-minute rain delay.
 
Hayden went 2-for-4 to lead Louisiana at the plate. Samantha Walsh, Vincent and Maly each went 1-for-4 for the Ragin’ Cajuns with Craighton going 1-for-3 and Martinez 1-for-2. Wallace, who allowed two unearned runs, scattered six hits and fanned seven for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
 
GAME 1 – No. 2 Oregon 10, No. 9 Louisiana 2 (5 innings)
Oregon scored three runs off a pair of Louisiana errors in the first inning and added two more runs in the second to build a 5-0 lead. Glasco and Costa each drew bases-loaded walks off Louisiana starter Alex Stewart (10-1) in the first inning while Udria scored after Vincent’s throw to the plate was dropped by Lexie Elkins.
 
Decker drove in a run in the second when her fielder’s choice scored Udria and Janie Takeda followed when she stole home for a 5-0 lead.
 
Hawkins (22-3), who tossed a no-hitter in Friday’s 8-0 victory, earned the win for the Ducks as the southpaw scattered four hits and fanned seven.
 
Louisiana added a solo home run from Craighton in the fourth inning before Walsh hit a solo blast with two outs in the fifth. Landry went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles for the Ragin’ Cajuns.
 
Costa, Udria and Takeda each had two hits for Oregon with Lilley driving in two runs, including a walk-off double in the fifth.