Louisiana pitcher Summer Ellyson throws against McNeese Wednesday.

By Jim Gazzolo

SPECIAL TO THE DAILY IBERIAN

LAKE CHARLES — Two weeks ago McNeese State’s softball team showed it could play with the best.

Wednesday night Louisiana-Lafayette never gave the Cowgirls a chance, especially ace hurler Summer Ellyson.

Four batters into last night’s rematch and the 10th-ranked Rajun Cajuns had all the runs they would need (1) to gain a measure of revenge on their neighborhood rivals at Joe Miller Park.

Lafayette (30-4) would go on to score more in their 4-0 victory, but Ellyson only needed the one provided by Bailey Curry’s sacrifice fly to right. The Cajuns scored twice more in the first, as McNeese starter Caroline Settle had trouble finding the plate.

“You can’t do that, you just can’t do that,” said McNeese head coach James Landreau. “They are too good of a team to let them get that kind of start.

“You can’t play catchup against a team like that, not with Summer Ellyson. She was too good tonight.”

Settle walked the first two batters and was pulled from the game after walking another to start the second. But by then the damage was done as she fell to 4-7 on the season. 

The loss came just 14 days after the Cowgirls (17-21) pulled off a 5-4 upset in 11 innings in Lafayette.

Alissa Dalton had the first of her three hits on the night in the first to drive in the third Cajun run. Sarah Hudek’s leadoff home run in the third was the only tally the Cajuns got off of McNeese reliever Alexsandra Flores. It was Hudek’s eighth homer of the season.

“It’s nice to bounce back and even up with them,” said ULL head coach Gerry Glasco. “We never talked about getting back at McNeese, but more about playing well.”

The victory was the seventh straight for the Cajuns, who have not lost since last playing the Cowgirls.

“You want to keep rolling, that’s all,” said Glasco. 

Flores allowed just four hits and the one run over her six innings of relief work, giving McNeese a chance.

“She kept us in it,” said Landreau. “This game could have gotten away from us but Alex kept us right there.”

But Ellyson was the difference. She allowed just one hit, an infield single by Cori McCrary, a transfer from ULL, in five innings of work. She struck out nine and walked nobody while improving to 21-4 and dropping her ERA to 1.27.

But an error in the seventh had Glasco thinking about bringing her back in to finish.

“Sure I thought about it,” said Glasco. “You have to. We had to have this game.”

However, Ellyson was not needed to return to the mound as Carrie Boswell and Kandra Lamb got the final six outs.

It was a disappointing night for the Cowgirls, as they could muster little in front of a big home crowd.

“You want to play well when you are home and we didn’t get any rhythm going,” said Landreau. “That’s what is disappointing. You want to play better at home.”

As for ULL, it was road win No. 12, something that will look good on the resume come tournament time.

“It’s important we win every game,” said Glasco, “especially these road games. They look good.”