Fourth-Ranked Alabama Softball Falls in Series Finale at No. 18 Louisiana-Lafayette, 7-0

No. 4 Alabama could not find a rhythm offensively in the weekend finale against No. 18 Louisiana-Lafayette, falling 7-0 to the Ragin’ Cajuns Sunday afternoon at Lamson Park.

Alabama (7-2) was shut out for the first time this season, as Louisiana-Lafayette (6-3) took a quick lead in the first inning and never looked back. The Crimson Tide tallied just two hits in the loss, coming off the bats of Chandler Dare and Merris Schroder, while they left a total of seven runners on base. After allowing just 18 walks through the first eight games of the season, Alabama’s pitchers allowed nine free passes today along with five hits, including two home runs, as Alexis Osorio (4-1) ultimately took the loss in the circle, her first of the young season. The Ragin’ Cajuns’ freshman starter Alyssa Denham (2-1) pitched the complete-game shutout in the circle.

The Ragin’ Cajuns broke into the run column first with DJ Sanders blasting a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning. Three walks to start the bottom of the fourth loaded the bases for ULL with nobody out and pinch-hitter Corin Voinche brought one home on a high fly ball to center field for a sacrifice fly. With the bases again loaded later in the inning with two out, a ball caromed off Osorio in the circle to Demi Turner who flipped it to Claire Jenkins covering second for the 1-4-6 putout to end the inning and get the Tide out of the jam trailing 3-0.

Sanders hit her second home run of the day in the bottom of the fifth, a solo shot that made it 4-0 and forced a pitching change for Alabama as Sydney Littlejohn entered with one out. After a walk, Lexie Comeaux dropped a single into right center and looked to be caught between first and second but a dropped ball on the play allowed her to get back to first and the runner at third to score on the error, making it 5-0.

With two on and two out in the bottom of the sixth, a fielding error extended the inning and loaded the bases for ULL and Daniella Chavez took advantage of the extended inning in the next at-bat, dropping a two-run single into right field to make it 7-0. Alabama would go down in order in the top of the seventh as Louisiana-Lafayette held on to preserve the shutout.

Next up, Alabama begins a six-game home stand on Wednesday, Feb. 22 against North Florida (4-3) at 6 p.m. CT at Rhoads Stadium.