The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team clinched the series by defeating the James Madison Dukes 7-1 on Saturday evening at Lamson Park. The victory marks the eighth straight for Louisiana and sets up a chance for a sweep tomorrow. It also marks the 85th consecutive Sun Belt series win for Louisiana, dating back to 2013.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Cajuns started with southpaw Chloe Riassetto in the circle, after she pitched in relief in game one of the series yesterday. Riassetto made quick work of the Dukes in the first, giving her offense a chance to get things going.
The Dukes countered with righty Kirsten Fleet. Her first inning was not nearly as smooth as Riassetto’s. She gave up three straight hits but did have one base runner eliminated due to leaving the bag early. After a walk loaded the bases with one out, Brooke Ellestad delivered a two-run single to get Louisiana an early lead. The Cajuns were not done scoring at that point, however, as Maddie Hayden drove in two more with a double and it was 4-0 before everyone had finished settling into their seats. That chased Fleet from the game without getting out of the first inning, and she was replaced by Payton List.
Louisiana had some defensive struggles in the second. After a runner was already on, back-to-back errors allowed JMU to get on the board and make it 4-1. Riassetto limited the damage there, and that score would hold for quite a while.
After zeroes were put up on both sides for the next few innings, Louisiana got back into the scoring column in the bottom of the fifth. Ellestad drove in her third run of the game on a single, making it 5-1. That was followed by a two-run home run from Vic Valdez to make it 7-1.
Riassetto continued to cruise, and the Dukes could not figure it out offensively, despite being one of the better offensive teams in the Sun Belt. Louisiana kept them off the scoreboard for the final five innings, securing the 7-1 win.
BIG NUMBER: 3
The Dukes were held to just three hits on this day, and that was due to the outstanding performance of Chloe Riassetto. Riassetto could have secured a shutout if it weren’t for a couple of errors behind her.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Chloe Riassetto
Riassetto continues her stretch of effectiveness in the circle. Seven innings, three hits, and one run was all that JMU could come up with against the left-handed pitcher.
UP NEXT: Louisiana and James Madison will play in the series finale tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM at Lamson Park.