NEW ORLEANS – After a record four Sun Belt teams advanced to the NCAA tournament, the league made another splash on Day 1 of the NCAA Regional competitions with three Sun Belt teams picking up key wins over highly-touted opponents in their respective regionals.
No. 15 Louisiana outlasted George Washington 1-0 in an 11-inning pitchers’ duel at the Baton Rouge Regional, while Texas State shocked a 10th-ranked Oregon 5-1 in the Austin Regional. South Alabama completed the trifecta of wins with a 2-0, two-hit shutout against No. 2 seed Baylor in the Gainesville Regional.
Competition stiffens for the Sun Belt winners on Saturday as they each face the top seeds at their individual regional and look for a spot on Championship Sunday. The Bobcats take on No. 11 Texas for the third time this season at 1 p.m. CT, on ESPN2 or ESPN3, while the Jags also kick things off at 1 p.m. against No. 8 Florida on ESPN3. The Ragin Cajuns will take on No. 16 LSU at 2 p.m. on ESPN.
Troy fell to Clemson in 8-0 run-rule at the Tuscaloosa Regional and will face Alabama State at 1:30 p.m., in hopes to remain alive.
No. 15 Louisiana 1, George Washington 0
Karly Heath's pinch-hit RBI double in the 11th inning broke a scoreless tie and handed No. 15 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball a 1-0 walk-off win over George Washington on Friday in the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional at Tiger Park. Friday's outing marked the longest contest of the 2021 season for the Ragin' Cajuns, and was the program's first extra-inning game in an NCAA postseason game since a 10-inning game with Louisiana State in the 2018 Baton Rouge Regional.
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Texas State 5, No. 10 Oregon 1
With all eyes on the Austin Regional hoping to see a Texas and Oregon matchup, the Texas State softball program prevented that game — at least for another day — as the Bobcats knocked off No. 10 Oregon, 5-1, Friday night. The win marks the first NCAA Regional win for Texas State (39-12) since the Bobcats, then a No. 2 seed, beat then-fourth seeded Sacramento State, 8-4, on May 19, 2018. The TXST win over the Ducks also snapped a 27-game winning streak for Oregon (37-16) in NCAA Regional action dating back to the 2010 season.
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South Alabama 2, Baylor 0
Freshman pitcher Olivia Lackie tossed a two-hit shutout, and Abby Allen and Abby Krzywiecki both homered as the third-seeded University of South Alabama softball team defeated second-seeded Baylor Friday afternoon at the Gainesville Regional at Katie Seashole Pressly Stadium on the campus of the University of Florida. With the win, South improves to 4-1 in opening round games of a regional.
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