MONROE – The No. 22-ranked Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns Softball team secured the 2022 Sun Belt Conference regular-season championship on Friday, May 6 with a 14-1 (5 inn.) blowout win over ULM in the series opener at the ULM Softball Complex.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (39-11, 21-4 Sun Belt) pushed across runs in every inning, held a 14-1 advantage in hits, and used a trio of pitchers to craft a one-hitter in claiming the title in dominating fashion.
Louisiana picked up its third consecutive SBC regular-season title under the guidance of Gerry Glasco (2019, 2021-22) and the program’s 18th overall in the 21 seasons of completed competition in league history.
Friday’s win also extended the Ragin’ Cajuns winning streak to seven games and marked the 16th win in last 17 games in the last month (since April 6). Louisiana moves within one win of extending its nation-leading total of consecutive conference series won, which stood at 72 straight entering the series in Monroe.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The bat of Laney Credeur helped Louisiana bury ULM (27-24, 10-15) very early in the contest. She blasted a two-run single in the first inning to start the scoring, then in the second inning lifted a fly ball into the outfield that was misplayed allowing two more runs to score and stretch the lead to 5-0.
Meghan Schorman started the pitching staff’s dominance with five strikeouts over the first two innings. Sam Landry took over in the third inning and carried the no-hit bid into the fifth inning.
The Ragin’ Cajuns blew the game wide open in the fourth inning with a seven-run frame that pushed the lead into double figures. An RBI single from Alexa Langeliers opened the scoring and made it 7-0, a two-run single from Kayla Falterman upped the lead to 10-0 and a two-run home run from Taylor Roman finished the scoring and increased the lead to 13-0.
The Warhawks broke up the shutout in the fourth inning scoring off a wild pitch. Langeliers got the run back in the fifth inning when she became the third Ragin’ Cajun to hit a home run in the contest.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE BOX SCORE
Credeur, Falterman, Langeliers, and Roman made up the quartet of Ragin’ Cajuns who tallied multiple RBI. Falterman led the way with the first three-RBI effort of her collegiate career.
Langeliers (3-for-4, HR, 2 RBI) posted her fourth three-hit effort and became the second on the team, joining Karly Heath, to reach double figures in home run as the solo shot in the fifth inning was her 10th of the season.
Raina O’Neal launched a home run for the second time in the past four games as she continued the scoring in Louisiana’s second at-bat with a leadoff home run.
Sophie Piskos’ single in the first inning, which set up Credeur’s single that opened the scoring, extended her season-best hitting streak to 11 games.
Schorman, Landry, and Kandra Lamb, who recorded the final out, combined for nine strikeouts and held the Warhawks to a single base hit which didn’t come until the fifth inning.
UP NEXT
Louisiana and ULM meet in a 12:00 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, May 7 at the ULM Softball Complex that concludes the series and the regular season for both teams.
The Ragin’ Cajuns seek to extend their nation-leading streak of consecutive conference series won to 73 straight and reach the 40-win mark for the 23rd consecutive season.
Both games can be heard in the Acadiana region on ESPN Lafayette 103.3 FM and 1420 AM and worldwide via the ESPN Lafayette app with Ian Auzenne and Bobby Neveaux providing commentary. Live stats can be accessed at CajunStats.com.
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