LAFAYETTE – A five-run, two-out uprising in the second inning distanced No. 22 Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball from Georgia State and on to a 9-0 (5 inn.) win in the Sun Belt series finale between the two squads on Sunday, March 13 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
The big inning for the Ragin’ Cajuns (15-5, 2-1 Sun Belt) began at the two-out mark in the bottom of the second and with the bases empty in a 1-0 contest. Jenna Kean worked a walk to set the stage for the key hits that followed.
After Kean scored on a wild pitch, it was Jourdyn Campbell doubling, Stormy Kotzelinck tripling and Taylor Roman homering – all in succession – to drive in runs that stretched out Louisiana’s lead to 6-0.
Kean added an RBI single down the left-field line in the third and Karly Heath drove a two-run home run over center field wall in the fourth inning to set up the early exit on the sunny Sunday afternoon.
Kandra Lamb (5-3, 2.26 ERA) was in control for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the circle, limiting the Panthers (8-14, 1-2 Sun Belt) to three singles over five innings. She struck out five, faced only five over the minimum, and needed just 76 pitches (55 strikes) to complete her third complete-game shutout and the team’s ninth blanking of the season.
Sophie Piskos’ home run in the first inning set the tone as Louisiana exacted revenge on GSU pitcher Hallie Adams after she stymied the squad in the series opener. Adams lasted only 1-2/3 innings and surrendered six runs and four extra-base hits.
With the win, the Ragin’ Cajuns claimed the Sun Belt Opening Weekend series from Georgia State and extended the program’s nation-leading total of consecutive conference series won to 65 straight, a streak that dates back to March 2013.
NUMBERS TO KNEAUX
4: Louisiana scored in all four innings the team sent batters to the plate.
5: Numbers of runs scored, with two outs, by the Ragin’ Cajuns in the decisive second inning scoring spree.
.667: Taylor Roman’s batting average (4-for-6) over the two games that she appeared in (Games 2 and 3) in the GSU series.
6: Jourdyn Campbell collected multiple-RBI for the second straight game, moving into a tie with Stormy Kotzelnick for the team lead with six multiple-RBI games this season.
7: The home runs hit by Taylor Roman and Karly Heath increased the total number of Ragin’ Cajuns who homered in the GSU series to seven.
9: The Ragin’ Cajuns launched nine home runs in the weekend series.
9: The shutout posted by Kandra Lamb was the pitching staff’s ninth of the 2022 season.
11: The margin of victory marked Louisiana’s 11th win of the season of five-plus runs.
15: Louisiana totaled 15 extra-base hits over the three-game set with Georgia State.
18: Sunday’s strikeout total increased Kandra Lamb’s total over 11 innings of work vs. Georgia State to 18.
19: In the two wins Louisiana posted over Georgia State in the series, the squad posted 19 runs over 10 innings at the plate combined over Games 2 and 3 of the set.
65: For the 65th consecutive Sun Belt Conference series, Louisiana came away with the series win.
3,272: Number of days that have passed since Louisiana’s streak of Sun Belt series won began back on March 29, 2013 with a doubleheader sweep of FIU at Lamson Park.
UP NEXT
No. 22 Louisiana concludes its current six-game homestand on Wednesday, March 16 hosting Texas (16-9-1) in a 4:00 p.m. doubleheader at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
Both games of the twinbill are set to air on ESPN+, can be heard locally on ESPN Lafayette 103.3 FM and 1420 AM or nationwide with the ESPN Lafayette app, and live stats will be provided at CajunStats.com.
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