Softball: Group Effort at the Plate Pushes No. 12 Louisiana Softball Past Memphis

Four players record multiple RBI as Ragin’ Cajuns complete the series sweep

Next Game:

Georgia Southern

3/13/2021 | 12 p.m.

ESPN 1420 AM

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – Four different players produced multiple RBI allowing 12th-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball to make a quick recovery and then a key late-game surge in an 11-7 win over Memphis that completed a three-game series sweep on Sunday at the Tiger Softball Complex.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (13-4) trailed briefly after a triple in the first inning set up a tally for the Tigers (1-11), but Jenna Kean delivered a two-out RBI single the next inning and in the third inning Jade Gortarez and Justice Milz homered back-to-back for a 3-1 lead.

It was a 4-2 contest until the sixth inning when the solid two-out hitting that Louisiana enjoyed all week long took over. A two-run double by Ciara Bryan and a two-run single from Julie Rawls highlighted a five-run outburst that increased the Ragin’ Cajuns lead to 9-2.

The sixth-inning production proved to be critical separation an inning later when the host-Tigers rallied for a five-run inning of their own to lessen Louisiana’s margin of victory.

Kandra Lamb, who struck out six batters over 4-2/3 innings, re-entered the game with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and recorded her final strikeout to halt Memphis’ uprising.

Bryan and Rawls were joined by Kean and Milz in tallying two RBI apiece to pace the Ragin’ Cajuns efforts in the team’s second-highest run output of the season.

DIAMOND NOTES

Nine different Ragin’ Cajuns tallied at least one base hit in leading the squad to 10 hits in the contest – the eighth outing with double-digit hits.
Louisiana scored multiple runs in three innings increasing the total number of innings with multiple runs in the series to seven.
With home runs by Jade Gortarez and Justice Milz, five different individuals homered at least once in the series.
Ciara Bryan extended her hitting streak to 10 games, stretching out the longest streak by a Ragin’ Cajun this season. Bryan has now reached base in all 17 games.
Ciara Bryan also increased her team-leading total of multiple-hit games to 10.
For the third consecutive week, Ciara Bryan finished as Louisiana’s leading hitter. The Georgia transfer went 10-for-19 at the plate (.526), scored five runs, posted three doubles and three RBI.
Jade Gortarez wrapped up the week with a five-game hitting streak. Gortarez finished 8-for-16 at the plate with five runs scored, three doubles and a home run.
With her pair of RBI in the contest, Justice Milz has now tallied at least one RBI in 10 of the past 13 games. During the stretch, Milz has produced 17 RBI.
The six strikeouts by Kandra Lamb increased her season total to 53. She reached the mark for the first time in her career and moved within 13 strikeouts of her 100th career collegiate strikeout.
Frankie Izard started in left field for the third straight game and reached base all four plate appearances. She scored each time, resulting in the most runs scored by a Ragin’ Cajun in the 2021 season.
Summer Ellyson worked a scoreless inning of relief bringing her series total of scoreless innings pitched to 3-1/3 innings.
The one inning of relief worked by Summer Ellyson marked the second clean effort out of the bullpen this week. On Wednesday, the senior tossed two scoreless innings for the save at McNeese.
Sunday’s win extended Louisiana’s all-time series lead over Memphis to 7-0.

UP NEXT
Louisiana enjoys a five-day break before resuming play with Georgia Southern in the 2021 Sun Belt Conference opening series Saturday-Sunday, March 13-14 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.

The Ragin’ Cajuns and Eagles are scheduled to play a doubleheader on Saturday and single game on Sunday, both days starting at 12 p.m. All games will air live on ESPN&#434343434343;.