The 18th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns softball team split a pair of games with the 4th-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday afternoon at Lamson Park.

Alabama won the opening game of the non-conference doubleheader, 3-0, before Louisiana came back to capture the nightcap, 11-2, in 6-inning mercy-rule fashion.

The win in the second game put an end to Louisiana's modest three-game losing streak, while ending Alabama's season-opening 7-game win streak.

Louisiana outhit Alabama in the two games, 15-13, while outscoring them 11-5.

In the opener, Alabama got on the scoreboard first, courtesy of a two-out solo home run by Peyton Grantham in the top half of the first inning, giving them a quick 1-0 lead.

The Crimson Tide extended their lead in the top half of the third inning, when St. Thomas More product Bailey Hemphill drove home a run with a two-out single to left, making it 2-0.

Alabama widened their lead even more in the top half of the 4th inning, scoring an unearned run, as Merris Schroeder doubled to open the inning, before later scoring, extending the Tide advantage to 3-0.

That was all that the Crimson Tide would need as they went on to their 4th shutout win in seven games this season.

Louisiana, who outhit Louisiana, 5-3, could muster only three singles at the plate, courte of Haley Hayden, Aleah Craighton, and Beth Ashley.

Alexis Osario (4-0) recorded the win in relief for Alabama, allowing only one hit in 4.1 innings of shutout relief.

Macey Smith (1-1) suffered the loss for Louisiana, allowing one run and one hit in one inning of work.

View the game box score.

Louisiana scored first in the second game, plating three runs in the bottom half of the first inning, the first on a run-scoring single off the bat of D.J. Sanders, before Lexie Comeaux drove home two runs with an infield single, to give them a quick 3-0 lead.

The Cajuns added another run in the bottom half of the 3rd inning, when Craighton scored on the backend of a double steal, to widen their advantage to 4-0.

UL made it 8-unanswered runs in the bottom half of the 4th inning, scoring four times on 6 hits, including a solo home run by Comeaux, her first career long ball, a two-run double by Hayden, and a run-scoring single by Craighton, to make the score 8-0.

The Crimson Tide stayed alive in the top half of the 5th inning, scoring two runs on a two-out single off the bat of Marisa Runyan, to trim the deficit to 8-2.

Louisiana would ends things in the bottom half of the 6th inning, when Beth Ashley crushed a 3-run walk-off homer, to give them an 11-2 mercy-rule win.

Comeaux paced the Cajuns, who outhit Alabama, 12-8, at the plate, driving home three runs, to go along with 3 hits, while Hayden drove in two.

Alex Stewart (3-1) recorded the win in the circle for Louisiana, allowing 2 runs on 8 hits, while striking out 5 over 6 innings..

Madi Moore (1-1) suffered the loss for Alabama, allowing 11 runs on 12 hits in 6 innings of work.

View the game box score.

With the twinbill split, Louisiana is now 5-3 on the young season, while Alabama now stands at 7-1.

The two teams will conclude their three-game series on Sunday afternoon with a single game at 1 o'clock.

You can hear all the play-by-play action on ESPN 1420 and espn1420.com, beginning with the pregame show at 12:45 pm.

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