Softball Sun Belt Member Institutions

Cajuns claim spot in Baton Rouge Regional championship, Texas State falls in semifinals

BATON ROUGE – In a game that featured two weather delays that totaled six-plus hours, 14th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball battled back to defeat No. 18 LSU, 4-2, and advance to the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional Championship Round.
 
DJ Sanders launched a three-run home run in the fifth inning to propel the Ragin' Cajuns (47-6) into the lead and Alex Stewart made it stand by fending off advances from LSU (42-19) in the fifth and sixth inning.
 
"I'm really proud of my kids…they're unbelievable," Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball head coach Michael Lotief said. "They're just scrappers, fighters and they inspire me. And this fan base, how they love and fight for these kids, really makes me proud."
 
Louisiana advances to the championship round of an NCAA Regional for the 10th consecutive season (2008-17). For the sixth straight time, the program enters the round in the driver's seat with an undefeated mark.
 
The Ragin' Cajuns await the survivor of the elimination games in the Baton Rouge Regional which started Saturday evening with McNeese and Fairfield and will continue Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m.
 
The championship round is now scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday. Louisiana needs only one win to advance to the NCAA Super Regionals for the sixth consecutive season. Should the "if necessary" game be needed, it would be played on Monday at a time still to be determined
 
Sanders finished 2-for-4 at the plate with the home run marking her nation-leading 29th of the season and the three RBI increasing her season total to 81.
 
Stewart (27-3, 1.59 ERA), who extended her personal win streak to 20 games, held the opposition to two earned runs or less for the 25th time in 27 starts.
 
LSU grabbed the lead after the first delay, getting a two-out RBI double from Amanda Doyle in the first inning and a two-out RBI triple from Bailey Landry in the third inning for a 2-0 edge.
 
The Tigers were able to carry the lead into second weather delay, which began at 2:46 p.m., as Allie Walljasper stranded six Ragin' Cajuns base runners over the first three innings.
 
When play resumed for good at 7:27 p.m., both Walljasper and Stewart worked 1-2-3 innings.
 
The Ragin' Cajuns began to turn the tide in the fifth inning starting with back-to-back singles from Kara Gremillion and Aleah Craighton. A first-pitch grounder from Haley Hayden was misplayed and that allowed Gremillion to score trimming the LSU lead to 2-1.
 
After fouling off two pitches on a 1-2 count, Sanders changed the game on the next swing. She went opposite field over the right field fence to lift Louisiana into a 4-2 lead.
 
The Tigers attempted to rally each of the next two at bats, but Stewart stood her ground. She retired Savannah Jaquish and Landry consecutively after the Tigers had two runners in scoring position in the fifth inning, then in the sixth inning retired back-to-back batters after a pair of one-out singles gave the hosts two base runners.
 
The win extended Louisiana's winning streak to 15 games, matching the season-high streak that occurred March 18-April 14.
 
DIAMOND NOTES
- Louisiana and LSU met in the NCAA Softball Tournament for the first time since the 2013 Baton Rouge Regional.
- The Ragin' Cajuns posted their sixth straight win over the Tigers in NCAA Tournament play. Louisiana now holds a 7-4 edge over LSU in NCAA Tournament meetings.
- The Ragin' Cajuns are now 27-5 in the regional round of the NCAA Tournament dating back to 2008. The program's all-time record in the NCAA Regional round moved to 61-32.
- Louisiana's all-time overall NCAA Tournament record (regionals, super regionals, WCWS combined) now stands at 73-55.
- Haley Hayden picked up two hits in the contest, increasing her career total to 275. She is now within one hit of joining the program's all-time Top 5 career hits list and tying Jana Mower (276 hits from 1998-2001) for fifth place.
- DJ Sanders, now with 29 home runs, is one shy of becoming just the third player in program history to reach 30 homers in a single season. Only Lexie Elkins (32 in 2015) and Danyele Gomez (30 in 2006) have reached the mark.
- DJ Sanders' 3 RBI upped her season total to 81 which marks the fourth-most in a single season. She joins Christi Orgeron (101 in 2011; 94 in 2012) and Lexie Elkins (83 in 2015) as the only players in the program's history to reach 80 RBI in a season. 
- Kara Gremillion's leadoff single in the fifth inning marked the 45th consecutive game she's reached base. Gremillion has been aboard the base path in 50 of the 53 games played this season.
- For only the 12th time in 53 games this season, the opponent scored first. Louisiana posted its eighth win (now 8-4) when coming back from a deficit.
- The Ragin' Cajuns remained undefeated (8-0) all-time in the current Tiger Park. The program swept through NCAA Regionals held at the facility in 2010 and 2013.
 

Bobcats Eliminated From College Station Regional

COLLEGE STATION, Texas. – Texas State took a three-run lead into the bottom half of sixth, but Texas scored six in the home half of the inning and held on in the seventh to down the Bobcats 6-3. The loss eliminates Texas State from the 2017 NCAA College Station Regional.

The Bobcats end the season with a 42-17 record, posting the third most wins in program history and the most since winning 46 during the 2003 season. Texas State concludes the College Station Regional with a 1-2 record. The game was the final in a Texas State uniform for seniors Quincy Charleston, Kimberlin Naivar, Lexi Fryar, Corinna Liscano, Jodi Paige Williams and Alex Cruz.

Texas (33-25) advances to Sunday's Regional Championship game against No. 9 national seed Texas A&M at 1:30 p.m. with the 'if necessary' game to follow at 4:00 p.m.

Texas State's Charleston (8-3) carried a no-hitter into the sixth as she retired 14 of the first 17 she faced via groundouts and added a strikeout for good measure. She suffered the loss after surrendering four runs on three hits in her 5.1 innings of work.

The Bobcats finished with four hits as Naivar, Taylor Webb, Liscano and Kennedy Cline totaled base knocks. Texas totaled five.

Erica Wright (8-7) earned the win, working the complete game.

Texas State advanced a runner to second in each of the first two innings, but came away empty handed each time.

The first Longhorn reached base in the third via a Bobcat throwing error; however, Charleston retired the next two batters she faced on routine grounders to keep the game scoreless.

Texas State broke the scoreless tie in the fifth with two runs on two Longhorn miscues and a hit. Haleigh Davis led off the inning with a walk – the Bobcats' third leadoff walk of the game. Bailee Carter followed with a sac bunt that was thrown into right by a UT fielder, allowing Carter to reach safely and Davis to take third. However, the throw in from right went wide of the intended target and into the third-base dugout, allowing Davis to score and Carter to take third. Two batters later Naivar chopped a single to the pitcher to plate Carter from third.

Webb provided the Bobcats with a third run in the sixth with her 13th home run of the season, tying her for second on the TXST single-season list with Ryan Stukel's 2003 season. Webb's bomb cleared the wall at the light poll in left center as she turned on Erica Wright's 2-2 offering.

Texas answered with six runs in the bottom half of the sixth, to take the game-defining 6-3 lead. The Longhorns collected all five of their hits and totaled a pair of walks in the inning. Tuesday DerMargosian singled to third to score Celina Felix for the Longhorns' tying run. Two pitches later Kaitlyn Washington cleared the bases with a double to the left-field gap and provide the 6-3 final

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Bobcats Fall To Texas A&M 3-1 In College Station Regional

COLLEGE STATION, Texas. – Texas A&M scored a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to overcome an early Texas State lead and take a 3-1 win over the Bobcats in the winners' bracket game of the 2017 NCAA College Station Regional.

Texas State (42-16) now drops into the elimination bracket and will face the winner of the Texas/Texas Southern game in an elimination game at approximately 7:30 p.m. today (Sat., May 20). Texas A&M (44-10) advances to Sunday's Regional Championship game slated for 1:30 p.m. with the 'if necessary' game to follow at 4:00 p.m.

The Aggies finished with 11 hits, including five doubles, while TXST tallied six. Ariel Ortiz led TXST at the plate with two hits and Keeli Milligan paced TAMU with three.

Samantha Show (18-6) earned the win of the Aggies, pitching 7.0 innings with three strikeouts and four walks issued. Randi Rupp (28-10) suffered the loss, allowing all three Texas A&M runs on 11 hits, while striking out five.

After first pitch was delayed 45 minutes due to lightning, Christiana McDowell singled through the right side on the third pitch she saw and later came around to score for a 1-0 Bobcat lead as Corrina Liscano drew a bases loaded walk. Also reaching base in the inning before Texas A&M's Show got out of the bases loaded jam were Taylor Webb (walk) and Jaelyn Young (single to third).

Rupp allowed an Aggie baserunner in both the first and second innings, but each time she used her defense to end the frames without the runners advancing.

Ortiz doubled to the wall in center with one out in the third, but was stranded as Show got out of the inning with ground ball and a strikeout. In the bottom of the inning Texas A&M's Milligan hit a one-out double down the left-field line and two batters later Tori Vidales walked on four pitches to put two aboard with two out for cleanup hitter Kristen Cuyos. Rupp worked a 2-2 count to Cuyos before getting the junior to roll a grounder to short to end the inning.

In the top of the fourth Texas State loaded the bases with one out, but could not find the timely hit to expand its lead. Kennedy Cline walked with one out, then Sara Rupp and Bailee Carter followed with singles to load the bases. However, Show escaped unscathed with a strikeout and a routine grounder to shortstop.

Ortiz led off the Bobcat fifth with a single, moved to second as Webb walked and took third on Young sacrifice bunt. However, both Ortiz and Rupp would be stranded in scoring position as the inning ended with the Bobcats' ninth groundout of the game. The Aggies knotted the score in the home half, waking advantage of three singles. Milligan led off with a single up the middle and later scored on Cuyos' base knock to left.

Texas A&M scored the go-ahead and an insurance run in the sixth. Sarah Hudek started the inning with a double to right and later scored the tying run as Milligan doubled to left. Kaitlyn Alderkin plated Milligan six pitches later with a single to shortstop, providing the 3-1 final.