BATON ROUGE — LSU seized control of Saturday’s NCAA Regional game against Louisiana with a five-run first inning and the Tigers advanced to Sunday’s championship round with a 10-3 victory over the Ragin’ Cajuns.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Ragin’ Cajuns started off strong as Ciara Bryan led off with a home run that went over the scoreboard in right field.
That lead was short lived as LSU batted through the order in the bottom frame of the first.
Aliyah Andrews and Ciara Briggs led off with back-to-back infield singles. After a double steal, Taylor Pleasants was hit by a pitch from Summer Ellyson that loaded the bases.
Amanda Doyle laced a double to left field which brought home two Tigers.
Ellyson got Georgia Clark to fly out but then gave up a three-run home run to Raeleen Gutierrez.
LSU put three more runners on base — all singles — to load the bases. Ellyson was pulled for Vanessa Foreman who managed to get Briggs to pop out for the third out.
Ellyson gave up seven hits, five runs and hit one batter in two third innings of work.
Louisiana pushed a run across the second as Kendall Talley led off with a single and then later scored on a pinch-hit groundout by Bailey Curry.
LSU responded by scoring two more in the bottom frame. Shelbi Sunseri’s two-out double scored Doyle to give the Tigers a 7-2 lead. The Tigers would add a RBI single by Morgan Cummins in the fourth to make 8-2.
Louisiana scratched a run in the fifth as Bryan hit a one-out single, and would score on a double to right field by Justice Milz. LSU added two more runs in the sixth with a solo home run by Senseri and a RBI single by Briggs.
BIG NUMBER: 17
The Tigers had no issue with the Ragin’ Cajuns pitchers on Saturday. LSU racked up 17 hits and had six different hitters with at least two hits, and five with three hits each.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME: Shelbi Sunseri & Raeleen Gutierrez
Sunseri went 3-for-4 with 3 RBI and a solo homer while also picking up the win after giving up three runs on eight hits and striking out four. Gutierrez meanwhile went 3-for-4 with 3 runs scored, 3 RBI and a home run.
UP NEXT: Louisiana will now play the winner of McNeese-George Washington in an elimination game. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday.