LAFAYETTE, La. - No. 16-ranked Louisiana hit a pair of early two-run home runs to notch a 9-2 win over visiting Georgia Southern in the first game of a three-game Sun Belt Conference series against the Eagles on Sunday afternoon.
The Ragin' Cajuns improved to 20-6 overall and 6-1 in Sun Belt play with the win, while Georgia Southern falls to 7-12 overall and 0-3 in the league. The two teams will wrap up their series with a 5 p.m. ET doubleheader on Monday afternoon from Lafayette.
Louisiana opened up the contest by hitting two-run home runs in each of the first two innings to build a 4-0 lead. The Ragin' Cajuns added a single run in the third before the Ealges would answer offensively.
Junior Ashlynn Gunter would lead off the top of the fourth inning with a first-pitch solo home run to center field, her second of the season, while junior Faith Shirley would follow with a solo home run to left to make the score 5-2.Â
It's the first time the Eagles have had a multi-home run game against Louisiana since a 2-0 win over then-No. 8 Louisiana on May 1, 2016, in Statesboro. It also represents the fourth straight multi-home run game for Georgia Southern this season.
"Playing some of the top teams in our preseason, and seeing the velocity and style of pitching that we knew we would be facing in our conference, you're seeing that pay off," Georgia Southern Head Coach Kim Dean said of the home run surge of late from the Eagles. "Our girls have bought into the philosophy and the approach, and our ladies are starting to trust their swing and trust what they can do."
Louisiana would clinch the contest in the sixth by pushing across four unearned runs against the Eagles.
Kandra Lamb (10-2) notched the win for the Ragin' Cajuns, hurling six innings of three-hit, two-run ball, striking out nine. Rylee Waldrep (2-3) took the loss for the Eagles, giving up four hits and four runs - three earned - in two innings of work.
"Louisiana's environment is tough to play in," Coach Dean said. "It's a lot of fun to come here. Their fans are rowdy and educated. We have a younger team that is learning to play in that environment. Even though we didn't execute to our potential today, we walked away with a few things that we could hold our head high with."
