The Ragin' Cajuns softball team travels to Lake Charles to face McNeese in the final game of a road trip spanning past week.

The University of Louisiana Softball team concludes a five-game road trip with today’s single game against McNeese at Joe Miller Field in Lake Charles.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (23-9) began the road trip last week in the state of Texas, posting a 3-1 mark. The squad collected a Top 25 win in Austin over Texas and won a Sun Belt series over Texas State in San Marcos.

Louisiana’s meeting with McNeese (21-14) wraps up an annual home-and-home, in-season series between the I-10 neighbors. The Ragin’ Cajuns claimed a 5-3 win back on March 9 at Lamson Park.

The Ragin’ Cajuns have won the last five meetings with the Cowgirls and 15 of the last 16, overall, dating back to Feb. 26, 2011 in Lake Charles.

The all-time series with McNeese is the second-oldest in program history at 130 meetings, trailing only the 140 games played against ULM.

Each of the last three regular season meetings were decided by two runs or less — in Louisiana’s favor. Both regular season matchups in 2021 were decided by one run including a 5-4 Ragin’ Cajuns win in Lake Charles thanks to a Justice Milz three-run homer in the sixth inning. Both Louisiana and McNeese are playing their best softball as of late. The Ragin’ Cajuns have won eight of their last 10 since a doubleheader loss to Texas at home on March 16. The Cowgirls bring a season-high nine-game win streak, that began back on March 23, into the matchup.

A closer look

• Second-oldest series in program history (130 meetings) trailing only ULM (140).

• Annual home-and-home series resumed in 2019 with the two programs meeting twice every completed season since then (canceled in 2020 by COVID).

• Louisiana has claimed the last eight meetings at Cowgirl Diamond (dates back to Feb. 2008).

• Since 1991, when Louisiana led the series 21-20, the Ragin’ Cajuns have won 84 of 89 meetings to take command of the series (won 38 straight from 1994 to 2004).

• Series has roots dating back to the founding of the Ragin’ Cajuns’ program in 1981.

• The two I-10 neighbors were conference foes from 1983-87.

when then-USL was a member of the Southland Conference.

THE LAST TIME VS. MCNEESE

With a heads-up defensive play and a two-run double from Samantha Graeter in the fourth inning Louisiana re-established control and went on to claim a 5-3 win over McNeese at Lamson Park on March 9.

Knotted at 2-all in the fourth inning, the Cowgirls attempted to sneak across a run on a pop fly to shallow center field, but Louisiana’s Alexa Langeliers executed an inning-ending double play.

It took the Ragin’ Cajuns only three batters into the next half inning to capitalize on the momentum boost. That’s when Samantha Graeter delivered a two-run double to break the tie.

From there, Kandra Lamb completed her four innings of relief limiting McNeese to a single run off of just three hits and struck out six.

HOW THE ROAD TRIP BEGAN

A three-run home run from Jourdyn Campbell in the third inning created a tie, five shutdown innings in relief from Meghan Schorman carried Louisiana into extra innings and Melissa Mayeux came through with a game-winning two-run single in the eighth inning as the Ragin’ Cajuns topped No 14 Texas, 6-5 (8 inn.), on Wednesday, March 30, in Austin.

On Friday in San Marcos, Sam Landry and Meghan Schorman combined for a shutout and Stormy Kotzelnick provided the offense with a solo home run as Louisiana posted a 1-0 win over Texas State in the Sun Belt series opener.

The Ragin’ Cajuns clinched the series in San Marcos on Saturday, April 2 behind the bat of Melissa Mayeux who went 3-for-3 with a double, two home runs and three RBI. Mayeux’s leadoff home run in the second inning was a quick response to a Texas State tally and sparked the first of 10 unanswered runs for the Ragin’ Cajuns in the 10-1 (5 inn.) run-rule win.

Louisiana’s bid for a second consecutive Sun Belt sweep, and a 4-0 run through the state of Texas, was spoiled when Texas State rallied for two runs in the sixth inning to capture a 5-4 win.

Series Record: Louisiana leads, 105-25

Last Meeting: 3/9/22; LA 5, MCN 3 (Lafayette — Lamson Park)

In Lake Charles: Louisiana leads, 40-13

Last Time in Lake Charles: 3/3/22 // LA 5, MCN 4

Streak: Louisiana, +5