After a closely contested contest last Tuesday in Baton Rouge, the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns and LSU Tigers met once again at Lamson Park in the second midweek contest of the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
LSU got a two-out rally in the top of the first as Raeleen Gutierrez doubled to score Taylor Pleasants and make it a 1-0 game before Gutierrez scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 2-0 and chase Sam Landry from the circle.
However, the Cajuns roared back in the bottom half, scoring two of their own on a leadoff triple by Mihyia Davis before Maddie Hayden reached on a fielder’s choice that scored Davis to make it 2-1. Then a single, walk, and single scored another run and loaded the bases with nobody out, sending the Tigers’ starting pitcher, Raelin Chaffin, to the dugout and bringing in All-American Kelley Lynch. With two outs and the bases loaded, Cecilia Vasquez drew a full-count walk to bring in the third run of the inning for the Cajuns. Shortly after, Kayla Falterman walked to score another run before Davis hit a two-run single up the middle to add two more runs and make it a 6-2 lead for Louisiana.
After both Lynch and Chloe Riassetto settled in and had two scoreless innings, Alexa Langeliers added another run to the Louisiana total with a solo shot to right center field that made it a 7-2 contest. Brooke Ellestad decided to add another one with the second long ball of the inning, this time to the left field bleachers to make it 8-2.
In the bottom of the fifth, Kayla Falterman led the inning off with a base hit and then moved to second on a fielder’s choice. Maddie Hayden hit a single into right field and was tagged out stretching it to second, but the play allowed Falterman to score and make it 9-2.
In the sixth, Karli Petty got a two-run homer when her arm bounced off the camera wire for what would’ve been a spectacular catch and the third out. However, LSU cut the Cajuns’ lead to 9-4.
Riassetto and the Cajuns close the door on LSU and pick up a necessary win for postseason implications with a 9-4 final score.
BIG NUMBER: 6
After giving up a pair of early runs, Louisiana erupted for six in the bottom of the first to pace themselves ahead of LSU, adding three more throughout the game to make it 9-4
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Chloe Riassetto
Following a rough start from Sam Landry, Riassetto came in and was electric, going 5 innings with only three hits and two runs with the homer to help lead the Cajuns to a critical win.
UP NEXT: Louisiana heads west to Lake Charles to battle McNeese before playing ULM on the weekend. LSU on the other hand will return home to battle Arkansas in SEC play.