Ragin’ Cajuns Complete Five-Game Week Undefeated
MONROE – With single runs each of the first three innings the No. 19-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team quickly separated itself from ULM and went on to post a 5-2 win on Sunday, April 28 that completed a weekend series sweep at the ULM Softball Complex in Monroe, Louisiana.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (38-15, 20-1 SBC), who earned the outright Sun Belt regular season championship on Saturday, collected their sixth series sweep of the season. The win also completed a 5-0 week for UL and extended the team’s winning streak to nine games.
Brooke Ellestad (2-for-4, double, RBI) and Cecilia Vasquez (2-for-4, RBI) led the early uprising from Louisiana. Ellestad delivered an RBI single in the first, Vasquez had an RBI single of her own in the second and in the third it was Ellestad’s leadoff double leading to a third run.
Chloe Riassetto (4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 K) and Sam Landry (3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 K) worked in tandem to lock up the Warhawks in a combined two-hit effort. Riassetto started off with three innings of no-hit softball, then Landry got the Cajuns out of a bases-loaded jam in the fourth with only a single run crossing and went on to retire eight of the 10 batters she faced.
The Cajuns pitchers received extra cushion down the stretch courtesy two-out hitting from Maddie Hayden in the fifth and Kayla Falterman in the seventh that extended the lead to 5-1.
ULM (28-23, 9-12 SBC) worked a pair of free passes off of Lexie Delbrey in the seventh, but Riassetto dashed the hosts chance of a rally by inducing three straight ground balls with only one run crossing home plate.
Louisiana wound up with a series-high 11 base hits sparked by two-hit efforts from Hayden, Ellestad, Vasquez and Victoria Valdez.
Ellestad picked up at least one RBI for the 16th time in 21 Sun Belt contests, upping her league-leading total in conference play to 33 RBI.
Mihyia Davis, who singled to lead off the game, extended her hitting streak to 10 games. Vasquez collected her 12th RBI in SBC play and Falterman (1-for-1, SAC, BB, RBI) capped off a five-game stretch in which she’s batting .667 (6-of-9, 2 SAC, 3 BB, 2 RBI).
The Ragin’ Cajuns extended their series win streak over the Warhawks, which dates back to the 2021 season, to 11 games. Louisiana upped its overall series lead to 122-28 which includes a 43-5 mark in SBC regular season play.
Sunday’s result inched the Ragin’ Cajuns, winners of 29 of the last 32 games since March 3, closer to a 25th consecutive 40-win season – now just two wins shy of the accomplishment.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
Louisiana meets Troy on the final weekend of the regular season in a Sun Belt Conference series at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park scheduled for Thursday-Saturday, May 2-4.
Fans may purchase tickets at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685). Group tickets are also available by contacting the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office by email at tickets@louisiana.edu.
The Ragin’ Cajuns and Trojans begin the three-game SBC set at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 2.
All games in the UL-TROY series are being broadcast on ESPN+. Fans can hear a radio broadcast on The Goat 103.3 FM and 1420 AM in the Acadiana region and worldwide on The Varsity Network.
Fans can celebrate and honor the 2024 Softball Sun Belt Conference Champions by making a gift to the Centerfield Club (click here) to support the student-athletes.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN’ CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin’ Cajuns on Facebook (/RaginCajunsSB), Twitter (@RaginCajunsSB) and Instagram (@Louisiana.SB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Softball.
Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin’ Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
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