UL Softball Splits DH With Texas
The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns split a pair of games in their final two contests before opening Sun Belt Conference play.
15th-ranked Louisiana split a non-conference doubleheader with the 10th-ranked Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas on Thursday, dropping the first game, 4-0, before capturing the nightcap, 10-9.
The two contests were the first games the Cajuns played since Sunday, March 7, when they defeated the Memphis Tigers, 11-7, and were the first two in a stretch in which they're slated to play five games over a four-day period.
UL and Texas were scheduled to play a doubleheader on Wednesday at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park, but the twinbill was moved to Austin, due to inclement weather in the Acadiana area.
The loss in the opener put an end to UL's three-game win streak, while putting an end to the Longhorns nine-game win streak in the nightcap.
In the opening game, Texas scored two unearned runs in the bottom half of the third inning, before scoring two insurance runs in the bottom half of the 6th inning, including a solo home run by Lauren Burke, as they went on to the 4-0 triumph.
Texas, who outhit Louisiana, 7-5, was lead at the plate by Mary Iakopo, who went 2-for-3 with two runs batted in, while Burke homered.
In a losing cause for UL, Alissa Dalton collected two hits.
Shealyn O'Leary (3-0) recorded the win in the circle for the Longhorns, tossing a five-hit shutout while striking five batters.
Kandra Lamb (5-2) suffered the loss for the Cajuns, allowing four on five hits over 5.1 innings of work.
In the second game, Louisiana put together three big innings, including a two-run first, a four-run third, and a three-run fourth to capture the 10-9 victory.
Louisiana, who outhit Texas, 13-11, was lead at the plate by Julie Rawls, who went 3-for-3 with four runs batted in, while Ciara Bryan and Dalton collected three hits apiece.
In a losing cause for Texas, Mary Iakopo had two hits, including a home run.
Summer Ellyson (5-3) recorded the win in the circle for the Cajuns, allowing six runs on eight hits over 5.1 innings pitched.
Molly Jacobsen (6-2) suffered the loss for the Longhorns, allowing six runs on five hits over 2.2 innings of work.
With the split, Louisiana is now 14-5 on the season, while Texas now stands at 17-3.
The Cajuns begin Sun Belt Conference play on Friday when they travel to Arlington, Texas to take on the UTA Mavericks in the opening game of a three-game, league series.
First-pitch is scheduled for 7:30 pm.