Box Score | Championship Central
 
SAN MARCOS, Texas – In the fifth all-time Sun Belt Softball Championship title game meeting between the Ragin’ Cajuns and Bobcats, host Texas State claimed its second crown – and first since 2018 – with a 9-5 victory over Louisiana Saturday afternoon at Bobcat Stadium.
 
Texas State (44-13) was led by senior Anna Jones who went 3-for-3 with two RBI, while senior JJ Smith added two hits including a two-run home run and three RBI. Senior ace Jessica Mullins collected her 30th win of the season in the circle.
 
Texas State set the table in the top of the first inning with its first three batters reaching to load the bases with no outs. Jones hit an RBI single to center field as the carousel on the basepaths turned. That forced a Louisiana (42-17) pitching change, before senior Piper Randolph drove in the second run on a sacrifice fly. The Bobcats added one more run on a two-out fielding error to take a 3-0 lead.
 
The Cajuns responded in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff single and a two-out walk. After a wild pitch, junior Brooke Ellestad delivered a two-run single up the middle to score sophomore Mihyia Davis and sophomore Victoria Valdez to cut the deficit to one, 3-2.
 
Louisiana’s offense came to life again with two outs in the bottom of the third when Ellestad lofted a shot into shallow center field that landed in front of a diving Randolph, kicked off her glove and rolled 10 feet toward right field for two-run triple to give the Cajuns their first lead, 4-3.
 
The Bobcats roared back in the top of the fourth with four hits in the frame, including a bases-loaded RBI single by sophomore Emilee Baker to draw the score even. The very next batter, Vanderford, reclaimed the lead for Texas State with a sac fly to deep left center field. Jones hit the very next pitch into right field for an RBI single to make it 6-4, but the inning ended when Baker was thrown out at home plate attempting to score on the play.
 
Texas State increased its lead to 8-4 in the top of the fifth on a two-run, opposite-field home run off the bat of Smith that snuck over the left field wall.
 
Louisiana added a run in the bottom of the frame on an RBI double off the left field wall by sophomore Victoria Valdez cut the deficit to three, but the Bobcats countered once again in the top of the sixth on an RBI single through the right side by Smith to pull ahead by four once again, 9-5.
 
The tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award was presented to Texas State senior Sara Vanderford who batted .500 with five RBI and three extra-base hits. 
 
The Ragin’ Cajuns were led. By Ellestad’s two hits and four RBI, while Valdez went 2-for-2 at the plate.
 
The field for the 2024 NCAA Division I Softball Championship is scheduled to be announced Sunday, May 12, at 6 p.m. CT/7 p.m. ET.
 
2024 Sun Belt Softball Championship All-Tournament Team
Most Outstanding Player: Sara Vanderford, Texas State
JJ Smith, Texas State
Jessica Mullins, Texas State
Brooke Ellestad, Louisiana
Victoria Valdez, Louisiana
Sam Landry, Louisiana
Libby Baker, Troy
Audra Thompson, Troy
Olivia Lackie, South Alabama
Savannah Rice, Marshall