Michael Shipma
Sports Editor
The Troy softball team struggled over the weekend, falling to No. 4 UL-Lafayette in three straight games but bouncing back to defeat Kennesaw State in a doubleheader.
The Trojans struggled to generate any offense against the Ragin’ Cajuns, scoring only one run in the series. UL-Lafayette, on the other hand, had no trouble, scoring at least eight runs in each of the three games.
Game one of the doubleheader on Friday, March 25, set the tone for the series, as a steady series of runs over the course of the game gave the Cajuns a convincing victory.
Freshman left fielder Shellie Landry got UL-Lafayette going early, hitting a solo home run to make the score 1-0.
The Cajuns continued to pour on the runs through six innings, making the score 6-0 going into the top of the seventh. In that inning, Landry hit another homer, bringing in two runs.
Later in the inning, ULL added three more runs to round out the game’s scoring, as the Cajuns took the first game in an 11-0 shutout.
For Troy, senior second baseman Kate Benton led the way, batting 3-of-4 at the plate with no strikeouts. Trojan batters struggled to get on base, thanks to 11 strikeouts from the Cajuns’ junior pitcher Alex Stewart.
The second game of Friday’s double header was much the same story as the first, as the Trojans continued to struggle at the plate. Benton once again led the Trojans offensively with a 2-for-4 performance, but three hits weren’t enough to top ULL.
Landry again guided the visitors to a victory, batting 3-for-4 from the plate, including a three-run homer in the second inning to give ULL a 6-0 lead. The Cajuns added two more in the inning, taking a commanding 8-0 lead into the fourth.
It wasn’t until the bottom of the fourth that the Trojans got on the board, when senior first baseman Amanda Winters hit a solo home run to center field, making the eventual final score 8-1.
On Saturday, March 26, Troy tried to avoid the series sweep, but to no avail. The Trojans gave up eight runs in the first inning, which was all that ULL needed to end the game after five innings of play.
The Trojans only recorded two hits in the game.
Troy bounced back from the series sweep on Tuesday, March 29, when they took on Kennesaw State in a doubleheader at home.
Despite giving up 10 hits in the first game, the Trojans used a disciplined defense to limit the Owls to just two runs. Offensively, Troy regained its rhythm, with senior right fielder Hannah Day hitting a two-run homer to put her team on top in the third inning.
Senior left fielder Erica Davis batted in two of the four runs that the Trojans brought across in the fourth inning, bringing the score to 6-1. Kennesaw State added a run to its tally in the fifth inning, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit, making the final score 6-2.
Troy didn’t miss a beat going into the nightcap of the doubleheader, putting up eight runs against the Owls. Senior third baseman Khadija Neely led the Trojans at the plate, batting in three runners on 1-of-2 hitting.
Benton also contributed to the 8-2 victory with two runs and one RBI on 2-of-3 hitting.
Trojan softball will return to action on Saturday, April 2, when the team travels to take on South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
