CONWAY, S.C. – Kaitlin Alderink's 3-for-4 effort led the No. 13 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns past the Coastal Carolina softball team, 10-2, in five innings on Sunday afternoon at St. John Stadium to wrap up the three-game sweep and earn the 2021 Sun Belt softball regular-season championship.
With the victory, the Ragin' Cajuns improved to 19-2 in conference play and 38-9 overall. The Chanticleers squad dropped to 7-14 in conference play and 19-22 overall.
Louisiana scored in four of the five innings as they collected 10 hits on the day. Alderink led the Cajuns' team with her first home run of the season and two singles. Karly Heath batted 2-for-3 in game three as she added her sixth home run of the season and a single.
Summer Ellyson notched her second win of the series as she came out of the bullpen for starter Kandra Lamb. Ellyson faced nine batters and allowed no runs on just one hit in 2.1 innings of relief to earn her 18th victory of the season.
After a run in the top of the first inning, the Cajuns scored three times in the top of the second.
Designated player Bailey Curry led off the inning as she reached on a fielding error by the Chanticleers infield. The next batter, Kendall Talley, advanced the lead runner to second base as she legged out a bunt single between CCU starting pitcher
Raelee Brabham and third baseman
Ally Clegg. With two runners on and no outs, Alderink came through with her first long ball of the season to put LA up by the score of 4-0.
Coastal Carolina cut the score to 4-2 in the bottom of the third with two of its four hits in game three.
Senior
Makiya Thomas led off for the teal and bronze with a walk against the Cajuns' starter Lamb. Two batters later, graduate student
Kayla Rosado roped a line drive single down the right field line that moved Thomas over to third. The Chanticleers scored their first run of the game in the next at-bat by
Mackenzie Beyer. The junior catcher tried to catch the defensive playing back on their feet as she laid down a bunt, but first baseman Justice Milz made the clean play at first base for the second out, but allowed Thomas to race home from third. Designated
Iyanla De Jesus forced Lamb from the game in the next at-bat when she shot a single into center field that cut the score to 4-2.
With a runner on second base and two outs, the Cajuns' reliever Ellyson ended the two-out CCU rally as she got
Courtney Dean to pop up on the first pitch to Alderink at third base.
Louisiana scored two more times in the fourth but capped the game in the final inning with its final four runs and extended the lead to 10-2.
The Ragin' Cajuns forced three straight walks against Coastal reliever
Iyanla De Jesus to start the fifth inning. Without recording an out, the Chanticleers were forced to their bullpen for the second time in the inning. In a challenging situation with bases laded,
Kaitlin Beasley-Polko's first offering to LA catcher Sophie Piskos was sent over the center field fence for the righty bat's first grand slam of the season.
Stavi Augur (1-for-3), Beyer (1-for-3, RBI), Rosado (1-for-2, run), and De Jesus (1-for-2) combined for the Chanticleers four hits in the game three loss.
Brabham dropped to 5-6 on the season as she allowed eight hits, six runs, and five earned runs in four innings of work.
The Chanticleers wrap up the regular season next weekend, May 6-7, as they travel to Appalachian State before they head to Troy, Ala., on May 12-15 for the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Softball Championship.
For complete coverage of CCU softball, follow the Chanticleers on social media at @CoastalSoftball (Twitter), @GoCCUSports (Instagram), and facebook.com/CCUChanticleers(Facebook) or visit the official home of Coastal Carolina at www.GoCCUsports.com.
