UL Softball Defeats Texas St., Advances Into SBC Championship Game

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns are now just one win away from another postseason league championship.

14th-ranked Louisiana defeated the Texas St. Bobcats, 4-3, on the fourth day of play in the Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship in Troy, Alabama, to advance into the championship game.

Louisiana, the top-seed, has won the event 15 times in the 20 years of completed play.

The Cajuns, who have now won 27 of their last 31 games, reached the 40-win mark this year for the 22nd-consecutive season.

UL, who is now 64-9 in the event's history has appeared in the last six championship games and last captured the tournament title back in 2019 in San Marcos, Texas.

The Cajuns have now won three of four games that they've played against Texas St. this year, after winning 2-of-3 against the Bobcats during the regular season.

Louisiana got on the scoreboard first, scoring a run three hits in the top half of the fifth inning, courtesy of a clutch two-out double off the bat of Kendall Talley, which give them a 1-0 lead.

Texas St. took the lead in the bottom half of the fifth inning when Hailey McKay drove home two runs with a two-out single, which gave them a 2-1 advantage.

The Cajuns regained the lead for good in the top half of the sixth inning, scoring two unearned runs, which made it 3-2.

UL added an insurance run in the top half of the seventh inning when Sophie Piskos singled home a run, extending their lead to 4-2.

The Bobcats got closer in the bottom half of the seventh inning when Tara Oltmann blasted a solo homer, her tenth of the season, to cut the deficit to 4-3.

That was as close as Texas St. would get,, however, as Louisiana would hang on for the 4-3 win, and a trip into the championship game.

Louisiana, who outhit Texas St., 10-8, was led at the plate by Ciara Bryan, who went 3-for- 4, while JulieRawls, Talley, and Piskos each drove home runs.

In a losing cause for Texas St., Oltmann homered.

Summer Ellyson (21-6) recorded the win in the circle for the Cajuns, allowing three runs on four hits over 4.2 innings of relief.

For Ellyson, it was her 96th career victory as a Cajun.

Meagan King (11-4) suffered the loss for the Bobcats, allowing four runs on ten hits over 7.0 innings of work.

View the game box score.

With the victory, Louisiana improved to 43-10 on the season, while Texas St. dropped 38-11.

The Cajuns return to action on Saturday, taking on an opponent TBA in the championship game, which is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.