University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
Friday, May 2
Lafayette
6:00 p.m.
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
27-24, 13-10
1
vs
0
Southern Miss
23-27, 10-12
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Southern Miss
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
5
0
Louisiana
0
0
0
0
0
1
X
1
5
0
Louisiana Blanks USM Again to Capture Series Victory
5/2/2025 11:01:00 PM | Softball
Ragin’ Cajuns claim third consecutive series continuing strong finish to Sun Belt play
LAFAYETTE – Sam Ryan controlled Southern Miss' bats during her initial time in the circle and upon re-entry, leading the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns Softball team to a 1-0 win on Friday, May 2 at Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
Friday's result, which followed Mallory Wheeler's no-hitter, provided Louisiana (27-24, 13-10 SBC) with the series victory over USM (23-27, 10-12 SBC) – the squad's third straight SBC series win to conclude the regular season.
Ryan (6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K) opened her start with 3-1/3 hitless innings tossed. She retired the first 10 batters faced and yielded one single hit over the first four innings.
Fellow senior Tyra Clary (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K) entered in relief in the fifth and slowed the Golden Eagles down after a leadoff single to keep the scoreless affair intact.
Ryan returned the favor in the sixth inning, picking Clary up after USM loaded the bases with no outs. She fanned the first batter faced after re-entering, then induced a force out at home before ending the threat with another strikeout swinging.
USM pitcher Jana Lee (6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 0 K) matched the Cajuns' pitchers through five complete.
The Ragin' Cajuns found a breakthrough in the bottom of the sixth after singles from Emily Smith and Kayla Falterman placed a runner on third base. Laney Credeur sent a ground ball to the right side of the infield to plate pinch runner Erin Ardoin with the game's lone run.
After her single in the sixth moved the winning run to third base, Falterman played the hero defensively in the seventh. Her diving catch of a sinking line drive off the bat Hannah Christian prevented the Golden Eagles, who had a pair of runners on the base path, from evening the score or possibly taking a lead.
Louisiana won for the eighth time in the past nine Sun Belt contests and remained in a tie for fourth place in the standings heading into the final day of play on Saturday.
UL remained perfect (8-0) against USM in the SBC era of the series.
Ryan and Clary's combined shutout marked the fourth straight game at Lamson Park that the pitching staff blanked the opposition. During the consecutive shutout streak on their home turf, which started with game two of the South Alabama series back on April 18, Cajuns pitchers have held foes scoreless for 27 innings.
Ryan pitched scoreless softball for the third time in her past five starts. She lowered her team-best ERA to 3.07 after having a hand in a shutout for the third time in the past month.
Maddie Hayden's 2-for-2 showing increased her team-leading multiple-hits total to 19 games on the season – two shy of her career-best 21 posted in 2024 – and 65 for her collegiate career. It also brought her season hits to 61 marking the second straight season with 60-plus hits.
Smith extended her hitting streak to six games with the single that began the sixth inning rally. She's now two hits shy of a 50-hit campaign in her collegiate rookie season.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The three-game Sun Belt Conference series with Southern Miss concludes on Saturday, May 3 with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. from Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
Louisiana goes for the series sweep and gets one last opportunity to secure the highest seed possible for the Sun Belt Championship Tournament next week in Troy, Alabama. The official bracket for the tournament will be announced following the conclusion of play on Saturday.
Live coverage is available on ESPN+, the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network (The Goat 103.3 FM/1420 AM and Varsity Sports app) and CajunStats.com.
The Ragin' Cajuns are honoring their 2025 senior class one more time during a pregame ceremony and the annual Bats 'n Bugs Crawfish Boil takes place following the conclusion of the game.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Facebook (/RaginCajunsSB), Twitter (@RaginCajunsSB) and Instagram (@Louisiana.SB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Softball.
Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Louisiana Softball single-game tickets are available for purchase online at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685). Fans can also support the softball student athletes, and invest in the program's future, through the Krewe Allons NIL Collective (click here).
Friday's result, which followed Mallory Wheeler's no-hitter, provided Louisiana (27-24, 13-10 SBC) with the series victory over USM (23-27, 10-12 SBC) – the squad's third straight SBC series win to conclude the regular season.
Ryan (6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K) opened her start with 3-1/3 hitless innings tossed. She retired the first 10 batters faced and yielded one single hit over the first four innings.
Fellow senior Tyra Clary (1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K) entered in relief in the fifth and slowed the Golden Eagles down after a leadoff single to keep the scoreless affair intact.
Ryan returned the favor in the sixth inning, picking Clary up after USM loaded the bases with no outs. She fanned the first batter faced after re-entering, then induced a force out at home before ending the threat with another strikeout swinging.
USM pitcher Jana Lee (6.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 0 K) matched the Cajuns' pitchers through five complete.
The Ragin' Cajuns found a breakthrough in the bottom of the sixth after singles from Emily Smith and Kayla Falterman placed a runner on third base. Laney Credeur sent a ground ball to the right side of the infield to plate pinch runner Erin Ardoin with the game's lone run.
After her single in the sixth moved the winning run to third base, Falterman played the hero defensively in the seventh. Her diving catch of a sinking line drive off the bat Hannah Christian prevented the Golden Eagles, who had a pair of runners on the base path, from evening the score or possibly taking a lead.
Louisiana won for the eighth time in the past nine Sun Belt contests and remained in a tie for fourth place in the standings heading into the final day of play on Saturday.
UL remained perfect (8-0) against USM in the SBC era of the series.
Ryan and Clary's combined shutout marked the fourth straight game at Lamson Park that the pitching staff blanked the opposition. During the consecutive shutout streak on their home turf, which started with game two of the South Alabama series back on April 18, Cajuns pitchers have held foes scoreless for 27 innings.
Ryan pitched scoreless softball for the third time in her past five starts. She lowered her team-best ERA to 3.07 after having a hand in a shutout for the third time in the past month.
Maddie Hayden's 2-for-2 showing increased her team-leading multiple-hits total to 19 games on the season – two shy of her career-best 21 posted in 2024 – and 65 for her collegiate career. It also brought her season hits to 61 marking the second straight season with 60-plus hits.
Smith extended her hitting streak to six games with the single that began the sixth inning rally. She's now two hits shy of a 50-hit campaign in her collegiate rookie season.
UP NEXT FOR LOUISIANA
The three-game Sun Belt Conference series with Southern Miss concludes on Saturday, May 3 with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 p.m. from Yvette Girouard Field at Lamson Park.
Louisiana goes for the series sweep and gets one last opportunity to secure the highest seed possible for the Sun Belt Championship Tournament next week in Troy, Alabama. The official bracket for the tournament will be announced following the conclusion of play on Saturday.
Live coverage is available on ESPN+, the Ragin' Cajuns Radio Network (The Goat 103.3 FM/1420 AM and Varsity Sports app) and CajunStats.com.
The Ragin' Cajuns are honoring their 2025 senior class one more time during a pregame ceremony and the annual Bats 'n Bugs Crawfish Boil takes place following the conclusion of the game.
FOLLOW THE RAGIN' CAJUNS
Follow the Ragin' Cajuns on Facebook (/RaginCajunsSB), Twitter (@RaginCajunsSB) and Instagram (@Louisiana.SB) to stay up-to-date on all that is happening with Louisiana Softball.
Fans are also encouraged to stay engaged with the Ragin' Cajuns by downloading the #GeauxCajuns app. Click here for iOS/Apple platforms and here for Android platforms.
Louisiana Softball single-game tickets are available for purchase online at RaginCajuns.com/tickets or by calling the Louisiana Athletics Ticket Office at (337) 482-GoUL (4685). Fans can also support the softball student athletes, and invest in the program's future, through the Krewe Allons NIL Collective (click here).
- www.RaginCajuns.com -
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ryan, Sam (6-5)
L: Jana Lee (9-11)
Batting:
SH: Ryanna Valdivia 1
Base Running:
SB: Carrie Green 1 ; Shelby Allen 1
Batting:
RBI: Credeur, Laney 1
SH: Falterman, Kayla 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ardoin, Erin 1
SB: Falterman, Kayla 2
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
0
H
2
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF
/ Softball
P
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