Louisiana softball season comes to an end with Game 7 loss to Baylor in Lafayette Regional

Louisiana softball's season came to an end with a 4-3 loss to Baylor on Sunday.

The No. 13 national seed Ragin' Cajuns (44-19) lost to Baylor (35-20) by run rule 8-0 on Saturday. They returned the favor with a 13-0 run-rule victory over the Bears on Sunday to force the game seven.

Both teams started the rubber match strong. Baylor's Emily Hott hit a home run on the third pitch she saw to get the Bears on the board, but Louisiana answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 lead. Laney Credeur, who went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and scored twice in the first game on Sunday, recorded another hit and scored in the inning on a sacrifice fly by Brooke Ellestad.

In the second inning, Baylor tied the game at 2-2 with a solo home run by Sydney Collazos, and Louisiana made an early pitching change. Chloe Riassetto, who played three dominant innings in the first game, was replaced by Sam Landry, who finished the first game after Louisiana went up by double digits. Landry retired the first three batters she saw, but Louisiana failed to answer in the bottom of the second.

Baylor's RyLee Crandall, who struggled through one relief inning in the first game, started in the circle for the Bears. Her first two innings were solid as Louisiana was only able to score on a pair of sacrifice flyouts, but the Cajuns got a hold of her in the third inning. Alexa Langeliers and Ellestad hit back-to-back singles, and Langeliers scored on an RBI single by Cecilia Vasquez to reclaim the lead.

Neither team scored in the fourth inning as Landry and Crandall both played well, but Baylor started to get the better of Landry in the top of the fifth. Taylor Strain and Hott both singled, then Presleigh Bilon moved them to scoring position with a groundout. A sacrifice fly by Shaylon Govan scored Strain to tie it, and an RBI single by Aliyah Binford gave the Bears a 4-3 lead. Riassetto returned to the circle with the bases loaded and two outs, and the Baylor threat ended with a quick pop fly.

Louisiana failed to respond in the fifth inning, but Riassetto took the Bears down in order in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of the frame, Vasquez reached second on a single and sacrifice bunt from Kayla Falterman. Vasquez tried to come home after a single into center field by Maddie Hayden, but a brilliant throw from Strain in center field allowed Collazos to tag her out at home. Mihyia Davis hit a single to put runners on the corners, but a groundout by Credeur kept Louisiana off the board.

Down by one in the final inning, Riassetto put up a second consecutive 1-2-3 inning in the seventh. A groundout by Sam Roe and a strikeout by Victoria Valdez gave Baylor two quick outs. Langeliers reached first on a walk to bring up the red-hot Ellestad, but she grounded out to end the game.

Baylor will advance to the Gainesville Super Regional to face No. 4 national seed Florida.