Logos from NCAA and sportslogos.net
After a dominant performance to open the tournament on Friday, the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns returned to Lamson Park for the Winner’s Bracket game of the Lafayette Regional against the Baylor Bears.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Baylor was on the board in the second inning when Ana Watson started the inning with a double. Then, Sydney Collazos hit a grounder to the pitcher, but the throw to first was dropped and Watson came around to score to put the Bears ahead 1-0. Zadie LaValley then reached on a fielder’s choice to put runners at first and second with still nobody out.
Baylor then added a run on an RBI single from Kaci West to score Collazos. With the bases loaded, Presleigh Pilon hit a sacrifice fly to center field, bringing cross the third Baylor run of the inning. The Bears weren’t done in the inning as Aliyah Binford cleared the bases with a grand slam to make it a seven-run inning for Baylor.
In the fifth, Shaylon Govan launched a solo home run to left field to extend the lead to 8-0 and put Louisiana in serious danger of being run ruled.
Louisiana was retired in order in the bottom half of the fifth inning as Baylor dominated from start to finish in a five-inning run rule to advance to Championship Sunday.
BIG NUMBER: 7
Baylor took advantage of some Louisiana defensive mistakes to score seven runs in the top of the second, including a grand slam, to run away from the Cajuns.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: RyLee Crandall
Crandall pitched a complete game two-hit shutout to run rule the Cajuns and advance the Bears into Championship Sunday.
UP NEXT: Louisiana will head to the Loser’s Bracket where they will play the winner of Ole Miss-Princeton in an elimination game tonight with first pitch tentatively scheduled at 7:00 p.m.