Tuesday, March 17, 2015
Led by Elkins, Cajuns Complete Sweep of Georgia Southern
LAFAYETTE – The No. 7 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team extended its home win streak to 27 games and picked up its second straight Sun Belt Conference series sweep with 12-1 (5 inn.), 9-0 (6 inn.) wins over Georgia Southern in a doubleheader Tuesday at Lamson Park.
Louisiana (23-3, 8-1 Sun Belt) moved to 6-0 on its current nine-game homestand. Last weekend, the Cajuns opened the homestand with a three-game sweep of UT Arlington.
Lexie Elkins was the top performer in the twinbill. The junior catcher finished 5-for-7 at the plate and collected six RBI. She posted her third multiple-home run game of the season, hitting a pair in the nightcap.
The Eagles (6-19, 0-6 Sun Belt) scored first in the opening game, but gave the lead back in the bottom of the first after a two-out error on a Kelsey Vincent grounder allowed two Cajuns to score. Louisiana wound up scoring in each at bat in pulling away for the series-clinching win.
In the finale, Jordan Wallace limited Georgia Southern to three hits and struck out eight in going the distance for her 84th career win which ties her with Melissa Coronado for fourth place in school history.
The Cajuns offense used four home runs to generate eight of the nine runs. Elkins broke a scoreless tie in the third inning with a two-run home run and closed out the game early by hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning that extended the lead past the run-rule margin.
Louisiana closes out its nine-game homestand with a Sun Belt series against Troy set for Saturday-Sunday, March 21-22. The teams play a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday and a single game at Noon on Sunday.
The Cajuns continued to have balance in the lineup. In each game of the doubleheader, four hitters posted at least two hits extending the string of consecutive games with four hitters reaching multiple hits to three games.
Collectively, the Cajuns piled up 21 runs off 23 base hits in the sweep. Louisiana reached double digit hits in each game of the series with Georgia Southern
Haley Hayden went 3-for-3 in the opener, posting her third three-hit game of the season. She led off the bottom of the first with a single up the middle and was joined by Shellie Landry, who walked immediately after, in scoring the two runs off the error on the Vincent grounder that erased a 1-0 Eagles lead.
An Elkins two-run double in the second inning upped the Cajuns lead to 5-1. DJ Sanders delivered the decisive blow in the bottom of the third on a play in which she singled home two runs and then scored after a misplay by center fielder Taylor Rogers for an 8-1 edge.
Christina Hamilton scattered four hits over three innings. Alex Stewart tossed hitless relief the final two innings.
The finale had a carbon copy start to the series opener as Wallace and Georgia Southern’s Brooke Red traded zeros through the first two innings of play. Wallace struck out five straight batters during the stretch.
After Wallace stranded Michelle Mazur at third base in the top of the third, her teammates provided her with a three-run lead on Elkins’ first home run of the game and Aleah Craighton RBI single. Wallace kept the momentum on the Cajuns side, retiring the Eagles in order in the top of the fourth.
Samantha Walsh’s two-run home run in the fifth inning increased the lead to 5-0 and the Cajuns began to pull away.
The game ended early in part to two-run home runs by Hayden and Elkins in the bottom of the sixth inning. Hayden extended her personal season-best hit streak to eight games and reached base for the 15th straight game.
DIAMOND NOTES: With two RBI in game one and four RBI in game two, Lexie Elkins now has a team-best 10 multiple-RBI games…The four home runs in game two marked the 13th time (out of 26 games) this season that the Cajuns have hit multiple home runs in a game…Louisiana has now hit 45 home runs in 26 games (1.73/game) and is one pace to hit 88 by the end of the regular season which would mark the sixth season of 80-plus home runs under Michael Lotief’s guidance…The Cajuns defense played error-free in the doubleheader and have now played error-free for six straight games...Louisiana has played error-free in 16 of 26 games in 2015 and has committed just 12 errors through 640 chances (.981 FLD%)…Jordan Wallace picked up eight strikeouts in her start in game two, increasing her career total to 810 which leaves her two shy of Kim Eisnaugle for fourth place in school history…Christina Hamilton is now undefeated in her last 17 Sun Belt Conference starts (dates back to 2011)…Lexie Elkins’ two home runs in game two moved her into a tie with Shellie Landry for the team lead with 11 home runs…The Ragin’ Cajuns have outscored foes 180-11 at Lamson Park in 2015, averaging nine runs per game…The Cajuns improved to 5-0 all-time against Georgia Southern…The series with the Eagles at Lamson Park marked the first meetings on either school’s campus.
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GSU Tops Chattanooga 4-2; Ready for Challenge at No. 4 Alabama
What you need to know:
* 19-3 Georgia State got back to its winning ways with a 4-2 win over Chattanooga Tuesday.
* Katie Worley pitched her second complete game and picked up her fourth win of 2015.
* The Panthers now turn their focus to Wednesday’s showdown at No. 4 Alabama at 7 p.m.
* This will be GSU’s third of four games broadcast on SEC Network + this season.
ATLANTA – Georgia State defeated Chattanooga 4-2 at the Robert E. Heck Softball Complex in Atlanta Tuesday. Now the 19-3 Panthers travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala. to face No. 4 Alabama on SEC Network + Wednesday, March 18 at 7 p.m.
Callie Alford, Ashley Christy and Ivie Drake all finished with two hits to lead GSU. Taylor Anderson, Christy, Drake and Cassidy Faulk all scored for the Panthers, while Drake and Megan Litumbe both drove in runs. Katie Worley went the distance and struck out six en route to her fourth win of the season.
Georgia State scored three runs in the bottom of the first frame to take an early lead. Anderson led off with a double before scoring on Drake’s single. Christy also scored on the play due to an error. Alford then scored on Litumbe’s fielder’s choice after reaching on a single.
After a scoreless second inning, Chattanooga pull two runs back in the top of the third thanks to Sarah Beth Roberts’ homer to make it a 3-2 game. Neither team scored in the fourth or the fifth inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, Georgia State added an insurance run to go back up by two, 4-2. Faulk scored this time after subbing in to run for Alford. Worley then retired the Chattanooga side in order in the top of the seventh to end the game and secure the win.
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UTA Nipped by Wildcats to Open Homestand
ARLINGTON, Texas - UT Arlington opened its five-game homestand on the short end, falling to Abilene Christian 7-6 on Tuesday at Allan Saxe Field.
The Mavericks (14-14) went to .500 for the first time this season after dropping their fifth consecutive game. UTA had its opportunities in the seventh, but were unable to cash them in after stranding the tying run on second to close the game.
"ACU came to play," UT Arlington coach Kristie Fox said. "They made all the plays and we didn't, and they showed up and were ready to go. That is the difference between wins and losses."
The Mavs continue the stand against Lamar on Wednesday at 5 p.m. before their Sun Belt Conference home opener on Saturday against Georgia Southern.
Sandra Mendoza and Rebecca Stokes each had a pair of hits to lead the Mavericks. Stokes provided two RBI, while Mendoza added a run. UTA starter Sam Montes pitched 6.0 innings overall, re-entering the game after departing in the fourth. The Wildcats dropped Kayla Donaldson to 5-6 after the freshman gave up four earned runs, all coming in the fourth frame.
UTA's offense appeared to find its stride out of the gate. Britnea Barilli's RBI double in the second at-bat of the game opened up scoring. Stokes adding to the scoring with a single up the middle. The throw from center bounced off the helmet of Shelbi Sikes at the plate to allow another run and gave UTA a 4-0 lead.
The Wildcats answered with a run in the second before Kacey Everett responded for the Mavs. She took a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall for her third homer of the season.
The Mavericks offense went silent, as the Wildcats scored five unanswered over the third and fourth innings to take a 6-5 lead.
ACU padded its advantage with a run in the sixth. Everett nearly had her second leadoff homer of the game in the bottom half, but the ball fell into the glove of the centerfielder at the wall.
The Mavs pulled within a run in the seventh on a RBI single from Mya Anderson. She was left at second as a flyout to right ended the game.
NOTES: UTA softball will be re-dedicating Allan Saxe Field and the new clubhouse on Saturday prior to Game 1 of its series vs. Georgia Southern. The ribbon cutting is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. ... The Mavs' game against the Wildcats was the first midweek contest for UTA this season. ... UTA's game against Lamar was added after previous weather cancellations left openings in the schedule. The Mavs also added a doubleheader against Central Arkansas on April 8.