UL Softball Downs Coastal Carolina, Extends Streaks

The Sun Belt Conference softball series win streak continues for the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns.

8th-ranked Louisiana defeated the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers on Saturday afternoon, 8-0, in 5-inning, mercy-rule fashion, in the middle game of a three-game, weekend, Sun Belt Conference series at Yvette Girouard at Lamson Park.

The wins extended UL's current win streak to 22 games.

Coupled with their win over Coastal Carolina in the series opener on Friday night, the Cajuns also extended their league series win streak to 54, a school and Sun Belt Conference record, as well as the longest current conference win streak in the nation.

Louisiana has not dropped a conference series since the weekend of St. Patrick's Day in 2013.

The Cajuns, who also defeated the Chanticleers, 5-2, on Friday evening, have outscored Coastal Carolina, 13-2, in the first two games of the series.

With the triumph, UL also ran their Sun Belt Conference win streak to 23 games to begin this season, while improving their overall league win streak to 28 games, dating back to last year.

Louisiana got on the scoreboard first, plating 4 runs on 5 hits in the bottom half of the first inning. Keeli Milligan began the frame with a single, stole second, advanced to third on a throwing error, and then scored on a single off the bat of Raina O'Neal, for the first run. Kourtney Gremillion then singled home two runs, before Lexie Comeaux drove home a run of her own with a double, to grab a quick 4-0 lead.

UL added three more runs in the bottom half of the 2nd inning, including a two-run single by Alissa Dalton, who later stole home, and a run-scoring single by Kourtney Gremillion, to widen their lead to 8-0.

That turned out to be all the scoring in the game, as Louisiana went on to the 8-0 mercy-rule win.

Louisiana, who outhit Coastal Carolina, 9-2, was led at the plate by Keeli Milligan, who went 3-for-3, with two stolen bases and a run scored, while Kourtney Gremillion and Alissa Dalton collected two hits apiece. In addition, Kourtney Gremillion drove home three runs, while and Dalton added two RBI's.

Summer Ellyson (32-4) recorded the win inside the circle for the Cajuns, tossing 4.0 innings of two-hit, shutout softball, while striking out 7 batters.

Ashley Guillette (12-6) suffered the loss for the Chanticleers, allowing 8 runs on 9 hits, over 4.0 innings.

View the game box score.

With the victory, the Cajuns improved to 45-4, overall, and 23-0 in Sun Belt Conference play, while Coastal Carolina dropped to 33-17, and 11-12, respectively.

The two teams will conclude their three-game series on Sunday afternoon, with first-pitch scheduled for noon.