Scott Watkins
Staff Writer
The Troy Trojan softball team traveled to Lafayette, Louisiana, last weekend to face 16th-ranked Louisiana and was swept three games to none.
The Trojans played Louisiana close in the first game of the series on Saturday, but lost 3-1. The Rajin’ Cajuns run-ruled Troy in five innings 11-0 in both remaining games.
Troy senior Becca Hartley who leads the team in eight different categories got the series started with a solo homerun in the third inning to give Troy a 1-0 lead. Louisiana answered in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single to tie the game.
After a scoreless fourth, Louisiana hit back-to-back solo homeruns to lead off the bottom half of the fifth to take a 3-1 lead. Troy was only able to put one runner on the base paths in its last two chances of the contest.
Sophomore Claire Graves got the start on the mound and, along with senior Meg Willis’ 1.1 innings of work, was able to hold the top-scoring team in the nation to three runs.
The Rajin’ Cajuns offense was not stymied for long, however, as they plated four runs in the first inning of game two. A two-RBI homerun in the second inning by Cajun outfielder Aleah Craighton pushed Louisiana’s lead out to five.
Louisiana scored five runs in the third inning off of two homeruns, the last being a bases-clearing grand slam. The Trojans were able to put a runner in scoring position in the fifth, but could not put together a rally.
On Sunday, Louisiana started again with three runs in the first inning on a homerun off the bat of Craighton. The Rajin’ Cajuns lit up the third inning to the tune of six hits, eight baserunners and seven runs.
Up 10-0 in the bottom of the fourth, Louisiana added one more run to make it 11-0. Troy had a runner on second and third with two outs in the fifth, but a groundout to shortstop ended the game. Trojan junior Cassidy McDilda was the only Trojan to register a hit in all three games and has now reached base successfully in four consecutive games.
Troy returns home this weekend to host the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. The series begins with a doubleheader on Saturday with game one set for 4 p.m.
