BUIES CREEK, N.C. (Press Release) – A combined shutout effort from Carrie Boswell, Summer Ellyson and Alison Deville led 10th-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball to a 3-0 win over Campbell on Monday at Amanda Littlejohn Stadium.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (38-4) collected seven stolen bases in the game and the speed paid off in distancing the visitors from Campbell (19-25).
Keeli Milligan swiped two bases in the first inning and scored the eventual winning run on Julie Rawls’ sacrifice fly. Two innings later Boswell was given extra cushion when Sarah Hudek and Rawls executed a double steal.
In the seventh inning the final stolen base, courtesy of Aeriyl Mass, put the insurance run in scoring position for Hudek’s two-out single to center field.
Boswell worked around traffic in the third and fourth inning, stranding a Campbell baserunner at third base both times. Ellyson, with back-to-back strikeouts in the sixth, and Deville closed the door with a combined 1-2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
The win extended Louisiana’s overall win streak to 15 games and marked the 15th consecutive road win.
LEADING THE RAGIN’ CAJUNS
Milligan singled in each of her first three plate appearances and finished 3-for-4 for a second consecutive multiple-hit game (four hits in App State finale). Her two stolen bases increased her season total to 44, moving her within eight of breaking the school record.
Hudek and Alissa Dalton both picked up two base hits in joining Milligan in producing the bulk of the Ragin’ Cajuns 10 hits in the game.
Defensively, Kara Gremillion (five assists) and Boswell (four assists) combined for nine of Louisiana’s 16 assists.
Boswell limited the Camels to just three hits during her 5-1/3 innings in the circle. She returned to form by inducing 13 ground ball outs.
Deville, who picked up her first save of the season, posted two strikeouts in turning in her third consecutive scoreless relief effort since April 10.
NOTEWORTHY
With seven stolen bases the Ragin’ Cajuns increased their season total to a new school record 129, surpassing the previous mark of 127 which had stood since 1994.
Keeli Milligan continues to shine at the plate picking up her fifth multiple-hit game dating back to March 31. During that timeframe, she is batting .516 (16-for-31) with seven RBI.
Alissa Dalton took over the team lead with her 14th multiple-hit game of the season. Dating back to March 20, Dalton has picked up 10 multiple-hit games.
Since March 20, Alissa Dalton has raised her season batting average over 100 points (from .313 to current .427).
Summer Ellyson’s two strikeouts in the sixth inning allowed her to equal her personal single-season best tally of 220 first reached in 2018.
In her last three relief appearances, dating back to April 10 vs. Southeastern Louisiana, Alison Deville has tossed 4-1/3 innings of scoreless softball and posted eight strikeouts.
For the 32nd time in 42 games played, the Ragin’ Cajuns pitching staff limited the opposition to two runs or fewer. The shutout was the staff’s 16th.
The first inning tally marked the 20th time that Louisiana has plated a run in the first inning. The Ragin’ Cajuns moved to 34-1 when scoring first.
Over the past 86 innings (since March 24), the Louisiana pitching staff has allowed only 10 earned runs. During the stretch the staff sports a 0.81 ERA, has surrendered only seven extra base hits and held foes to a .161 average.
UP NEXT
No. 10 Louisiana concludes its East Coast road trip on Tuesday in Greensboro, N.C. facing UNCG (25-15) in a 5 p.m. (CDT) contest. The game is set to air on ESPN+ and be broadcast on Talk Radio 960-AM.
The Ragin’ Cajuns then return home to Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park for a Sun Belt Conference series with Georgia State over Easter Weekend (April 18-20).
