Softball: Sweep Keeps Streaks Alive, Move Softball to Top of Sun Belt Standings

14th-ranked Ragin’ Cajuns off to great start in first of back-to-back key conference series

Story Links

• GAME 1 BOX SCORE (PDF)
• GAME 2 BOX SCORE (PDF)

TROY, Ala. – No. 14 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball extended its winning streak to 16 games and moved into first place in the Sun Belt Conference standings with a 5-2, 8-7 doubleheader sweep of Troy on Sunday at the Troy Softball Complex.
 
With the sweep the Ragin’ Cajuns (31-6, 13-1 Sun Belt) replaced the Trojans (26-8, 10-2 Sun Belt), who were previously undefeated in conference play, atop the standings.
 
Louisiana also secured the series victory which increases the program’s nation-leading streak of consecutive conference series won to 61 straight – an astounding run of success that dates back to March 2013.
 
The day began with Summer Ellyson and Troy’s Leanna Johnson putting on a show with the lone run allowed between the two in the first five innings coming off an RBI double from Kaitlyn Alderink.
 
It was still a one-run game heading into the seventh inning after the two teams swapped single runs in the sixth inning, then the Ragin’ Cajuns broke through against Johnson getting an RBI single from Jade Gortarez and two-run double from Julie Rawls to stretch the lead to 5-1.
 
Ellyson fanned seven Trojans and scattered seven hits in out-dueling Johnson. The senior right-hander handcuffed the hosts until a two-out RBI single in the sixth inning spoiled the shutout bid.
 
In Game 2 the Ragin’ Cajuns fell behind 3-0 in the first inning following an Anslee Finch home run, but Kandra Lamb settled in and the offense picked her up by scoring eight unanswered runs.
 
After the three-run first inning, Lamb would go on to retire 15 of the 17 batters that she faced over the next five innings. The offense made the comeback quickly, as four extra base hits in the third inning capped off by a lead-changing, two-run home run from Justice Milz vaulted Louisiana into a 4-3 lead.
 
While Lamb was maneuvering through the Trojans’ lineup, the hustle of Ciara Bryan and speed of Jenna Kean tacked on a run in the fourth inning, Bailey Curry launched a solo home run in the sixth inning, and Kendall Talley doubled in a run and score one of her own in the seventh inning – all valuable insurance runs when Troy crawled back into the game with a four-spot in the bottom of the seventh inning.
 
DIAMOND NOTES

• The Ragin’ Cajuns current 16-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the Sun Belt and the program’s longest since the record-setting, 29-game streak of the 2019 season.
• Louisiana now has a one-game lead over Troy in the loss column in the Sun Belt standings, and is assured of returning home with possession of the conference lead no matter the outcome of Monday’s finale.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns dealt Troy’s Leanna Johnson her first loss since March 10, and her first Sun Belt Conference loss since the 2020 season.
• Summer Ellyson (12-4, 2.43 ERA) stretched her personal win streak to seven games, a streak that began on March 26 vs. South Alabama.
• Louisiana never trailed in the opening game of the doubleheader, forcing Troy to face its first deficit in over 40 innings when Kaitlyn Alderink doubled home a run in the second inning.
• Louisiana scored at least five runs in both ends of the doubleheader, moving to 26-0 on the season when reaching the mark. The 13 runs scored on the day marked the most allowed by Trojans pitching since surrendering 12 to Southeastern Louisiana in a twinbill on March 5.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns offense ended a string of four straight shutouts tossed by the Trojans’ pitching staff. It was the first runs Troy allowed since March 21 at Georgia State.
• Both Kendall Talley (15 games) and Ciara Bryan (12 games) kept their double-digit hitting streaks alive.
• With a 3-for-4 showing in the nightcap, Kendall Talley collected her second three-hit game of the week (April 6 at SHSU) and improved her performance during her career-best, 15-game hitting streak to 23-for-44 (.523).
• Ciara Bryan also kept alive her season-long streak of reaching base in every game (now 37 consecutive games). It’s the longest such streak by a Ragin’ Cajun since Kara Gremillion ended the 2017 season with a 47-game reached base streak.
• With the home runs from Justice Milz and Bailey Curry in Game 2, the Ragin’ Cajuns have now homered at least once in 10 of the last 13 games. During the time span the squad has recorded 21 home runs (of the season’s 43 total home runs).
• Louisiana posted 10 extra base hits (8 doubles, 2 home runs) in the doubleheader, increasing the total number registered through nine games on the current road trip to 43.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns have now claimed 21 of their 31 wins in the 2021 season away from Lamson Park (18 true road wins; 3 neutral site wins).
• Louisiana captured the series victory over Troy for the 15th time in as many tries against the Trojans as Sun Belt Conference foes.
• The Ragin’ Cajuns improved to 41-6 all-time against the Trojans, now having won 22 of the last 24 meetings overall dating back to the 2012 season.

UP NEXT
No. 14 Louisiana and Troy conclude the three-game Sun Belt Conference series on Monday (April 12) with a 1 p.m. single game at the Troy Softball Complex.
 
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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