Two-run home runs by Amanda Minahan and Blair Johnson lifted No. 22 South Alabama past No. 12 Louisiana-Lafayette 4-2 in eight innings, sending the second-seeded Jaguars into the Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship game.
The win improved South Alabama to 40-11 and put the Jaguars one victory from a third consecutive Sun Belt Tournament title. It also ended top-seeded Louisiana-Lafayette’s 13-game winning streak and held the Ragin’ Cajuns to their lowest run total in 39 games.
Campbell Goes the Distance
Hannah Campbell pitched a complete game, allowing two runs, one earned, on 12 hits. She struck out three and walked one to improve to 17-5, lowering her ERA to 0.93.
Louisiana-Lafayette scored first in the bottom of the second inning. After back-to-back singles and a walk loaded the bases with one out, Shelbi Redfearn scored on a passed ball. Campbell then got consecutive pop-ups to end the inning.
Over the next five innings, the Ragin’ Cajuns left five runners on base and South Alabama stranded two. The Jaguars threatened in the sixth when Emily Messer singled, moved to second on a Kaitlyn Griffith sacrifice and took third on a groundout to second by Stephanie Pilkington. Johnson came up with two outs but flied out down the right-field line.
Minahan Puts USA in Front
South Alabama broke through in the top of the seventh. With one out, Minahan drove a pitch over the left-center field wall for a two-run homer and a 2-1 lead. Gwen Jones, pinch-running for Chloe Rathburn, scored ahead of her.
Louisiana-Lafayette answered in the bottom half with three straight singles to open the inning, the third tying the game 2-2. A fourth single loaded the bases with no outs, but Campbell induced two pop-ups and a foul out to send the game to extra innings.
Johnson Delivers in the Eighth
The top of the eighth began like the sixth. Messer singled, Griffith sacrificed her to second and Pilkington’s groundout moved her to third, bringing Johnson to the plate with two outs.
This time the junior hit a two-out pitch over the right-center field wall for a two-run home run and a 4-2 lead.
In the bottom of the eighth, Campbell fielded a ground ball and threw to first for the final out.
Box Score Notes
Christina Hamilton took the loss for Louisiana-Lafayette, falling to 23-3. She allowed four earned runs on six hits.
Minahan and Messer accounted for four of South Alabama’s six hits, each going 2-for-3, and combined for two runs and two RBI. Johnson finished 1-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI. Rathburn was 1-for-4.
Up Next
South Alabama will face Louisiana-Lafayette again in the championship game. The Ragin’ Cajuns advanced by eliminating sixth-seeded Louisiana-Monroe in Game 9.
Update
Louisiana-Lafayette advanced to the championship game by beating Louisiana-Monroe 14-6 in an elimination game later in the day. The Warhawks scored five runs in the second inning, including two RBI singles and a three-run home run, but the Ragin’ Cajuns answered with 12 unanswered runs beginning in the third. Louisiana-Monroe added its final run in the bottom of the seventh.
The win left Louisiana-Lafayette at 43-8-1. With South Alabama’s earlier victory, the teams have split four meetings this season after the Ragin’ Cajuns took the regular-season series 2-1.
The championship game between the tournament’s top two seeds is set for 3 p.m. Saturday and will be televised on ESPN3.com and the WatchESPN app.
