No. 1 Louisiana makes fourth consecutive Softball Championship final
Troy, Ala. – The No. 1 seed Louisiana defeated No. 2 seed Texas State 5-2 on Friday to advance to the Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship final for a fourth consecutive season.
The No. 14/15-ranked Ragin’ Cajuns (44-6), who will advance from the winner’s bracket, will take on the winner of the elimination bracket to be determined on Friday evening. Saturday’s championship game is a winner-take-all matchup. Texas State (40-14) will play in Friday evening’s elimination game against the loser of No. 4 South Alabama vs. No. 5 UTA.
Louisiana scored in each of its first at bats to take an early 3-0 lead. Aleah Craighton hit a pop-up double down the right field line that plated DJ Sanders from first. In the second, the Ragin’ Cajuns put two runners on before Kara Gremillion stepped in and singled to left field to score Corin Voinche from second. Sanders followed with a single to score Kassidy Zeringue from second.
Texas State responded with a run in the bottom of the second when Bailee Carter roped a RBI double down the left field line to score Jaelyn Young.
Craighton hit her second homer of the tournament in the top of the fifth inning, a two-run blast over the right center field wall that scored Haley Hayden.
Ragin’ Cajuns pitcher Alex Stewart (24-3) scattered three hits and allowed two earned runs in the complete game effort with seven strikeouts. Texas State pitcher Randi Rupp, the 2017 Sun Belt Pitcher of the Year, fell to 26-9 as she allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 innings pitched with four strikeouts.
Louisiana 5, Texas State 2 (May 12, 2017 at Troy, Ala.)
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Louisiana........... 120 020 0 - 5 10 0 (44-6)
Texas State......... 010 000 1 - 2 3 2 (40-14)
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Pitchers: Louisiana - Stewart, Alex and Comeaux, Lexie. Texas State - Rupp, Randi;
Williams, Jodi Paige(5) and Rupp, Sara.
Win-Stewart, Alex(24-3) Loss-Rupp, Randi(26-9) T-1:53 A-570
HR LA - Craighton, Aleah (18).
HR TXST - Cruz, Alex (2).
Weather: P. Cloudy