Softball: Doubleheader Sweep Moves No. 13 Louisiana Softball Closer to Title

Ragin’ Cajuns are one win shy from capturing Sun Belt’s regular season championship

• GAME 1 BOX SCORE (PDF)

• GAME 2 BOX SCORE (PDF)
  

CONWAY, S.C. – No. 13 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball was guided by the bat of Kendall Talley in Game 1 and used the home run ball to pull away in Game 2, picking up a 7-2, 7-0 doubleheader sweep of Coastal Carolina on Saturday at St. John Stadium.
 
With the two wins, and Troy’s second loss of the weekend to Texas State, Louisiana (37-9, 18-2 Sun Belt) moved within one win of claiming the Sun Belt Conference’s regular season title.
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns first attempt at capturing the title will come in Sunday’s 10 a.m. (CDT) series finale with the Chanticleers (19-21, 7-13 Sun Belt) which will air on ESPN� and SportsRadio ESPN 1420-AM.
 
Talley posted a career-high five RBI in the twin bill opener, accounting for the scoring difference between the two squads. The highlight of her performance was a three-run home run in the fifth inning that broke open the game by stretching out the lead to 6-1.
 
After working out of a bases-loaded situation in the first inning, Kandra Lamb was in control the remainder of the 4-1/3 innings she worked yielding just a solo home run in the fourth inning. Vanessa Foreman was extremely effective after closing out the fifth inning, allowing just a single run and hit in 2-1/3 innings of work.
 
Bailey Curry, who reached base six times in the entire doubleheader, clubbed a two-run home run in her first plate appearance of Game 2 staking the Ragin’ Cajuns out to a quick 2-0 lead.
 
Summer Ellyson left little doubt that the lead would be preserved as she went on to carry a no-hitter into the fifth inning. Ellyson would allow only two hits and strike out six Chanticleers over 5-2/3 innings.
 
A solo home run from Justice Milz in the fourth inning and a two-run home run from Jade Gortarez in the fifth inning made it 5-0 and assured Ellyson a generous comfort level in the back-end of the contest.
 
Foreman shined in relief once again as she worked the final 1-1/3 innings and tossed scoreless softball to secure the combined three-hit shutout.
 
The doubleheader sweep moved the Ragin’ Cajuns within a win of realizing its first-ever weekend series sweep of Coastal Carolina in Conway.
 
DIAMOND NOTES

• In addition to representing her personal career-high total, the five RBI by Kendall Talley are tied for the highest by a Ragin’ Cajun in the 2021 season (Alissa Dalton at UTA, Julie Rawls at Georgia State).
• Kendall Talley increased her season RBI total to 18, moving her within one RBI of matching her personal single-season best total (19) set as a freshman at Lamar in 2018.
• Kaitlyn Alderink posted at least one base hit in both games to extend her hitting streak to 15 games. It’s a new career-high streak for Alderink, surpassing her previous best of 13 games set as a freshman at Texas A&M back in 2016.
• Bailey Curry reached base all four plate appearances in Game 1 with a single and three walks, then followed up with a two-hit effort in Game 2. Curry was aboard the base path in six of the seven opportunities she had at the plate.
• Ciara Bryan’s RBI single in the sixth inning of Game 2 was her 70th hit of the season. Bryan, who has had at least one base hit in 43 of the 46 games played, has reached the 70-hit mark for the first time in her collegiate career.
• The RBI collected by Julie Rawls in Game 1 allowed the senior from Hallsville, Texas to match her career-high total of 49 RBI. Rawls is now just one RBI shy of the first-ever, 50-RBI season of her collegiate career.
• Kandra Lamb improved to 9-1 in Sun Belt Conference play. She limited the opposition to three hits or less for the fifth time in seven starts in league play.
• Summer Ellyson earned the 91st win of her collegiate career moving her into a tie with Jordan Wallace for fourth place in program history.
• For the second consecutive start in Sun Belt play, Summer Ellyson pitched a shutout. Adding in the complete-game shutout of Texas State on April 18, Ellyson has held SBC foes scoreless and to just three hits in the 11-2/3 innings of work that span her last two league starts.

UP NEXT
No. 13 Louisiana and Coastal Carolina wrap up the three-game Sun Belt Conference series on Sunday (May 2) with first pitch from St. John Stadium in Conway, S.C., set for 10 a.m. (CDT).
 
It will mark the Ragin’ Cajuns first opportunity to claim the Sun Belt’s regular season title. Live video coverage is available on ESPN?, and Ragin’ Cajuns fans can also follow along on SportsRadio ESPN 1420-AM and at CajunStats.com.
 
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