Ragin’ Cajuns sweep series with Lady Toppers

Austin Lanter

The WKU Lady Topper softball team tried to avoid the sweep  against No. 21 Louisiana-Lafayette Sunday but came up on the short end of a 6-4 game Sunday behind a big four-run fifth inning by the Ragin’ Cajuns.

WKU (24-13-1, 6-3 Sun Belt Conference) entered the weekend undefeated in Sun Belt play riding an eight game winning streak.

ULL, on the other hand, is in the midst of a 13 game winning streak and are a perfect 9-0 in conference play.

On Sunday, for the first time all weekend, the Lady Toppers were able to hold a lead for a few innings against ULL (28-6-1, 9-0 SBC) until their opponents rattled senior pitcher Emily Rousseau in the fifth inning.

“I think they just pieced hits together when they needed to,” Rousseau said. “In the end they got runners on and they ended up hitting them in. It was just simple like that.”

Junior catcher Jacqueline McGill led off the second inning her first home run of the season to give WKU the 1-0 lead.

Trailing 1-0 in the fifth inning, the Ragin’ Cajuns were able to load the bases with only one out.

The next two ULL batters both hit two RBI singles to take a 4-1 lead. In that big inning, the Ragin’ Cajuns sent eight batters to the plate, recorded four hits, and scored four runs.

The Lady Toppers got two of those runs back quickly in the bottom half of the frame. Senior infielder Olivia Watkins led off the inning with a single and then proceeded to steal second.

The next batter, fellow senior and outfielder Kelsie Mattox, sent the ULL offering up the middle to score Watkins. Mattox advanced to third on the throw and then reached home on a wild pitch from the Cajun pitcher Jordan Wallace to make it 4-3.

“One of our mottos is ‘We Fight’ so we never want to give in,” Watkins said. “We always want to fight.”

ULL added two insurance runs in the seventh and final inning to go up 6-3.

In the bottom half of the frame, WKU was able to load the bases and ended up plating one run. However, the team would get no more off of the Cajuns and would fall 6-4.

The next game for the Lady Toppers will be Wednesday at 5 p.m. on the road against Belmont before turning around and playing a home game Thursday at 4 p.m. against Mississippi Valley State.