MONROE – All the diamond drama wasn't reserved for baseball on Friday for the UL Ragin’ Cajuns.
Trailing by a run in the sixth inning, catcher Victoria Valdez slammed a solo shot in the sixth to tie it and Brooke Ellestad followed with a game-winning home run in the seventh to claim a 5-4 road win over UL Monroe.
It was an especially big night for Ellestad, who was a childhood family friend of Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton from Wisconsin. Hailburton hit the game-winning shot in the Pacers playoff win over Milwaukee on Friday.
The win improved to 36-15 overall and 18-1 in league play. It also secured at least a tie for the Sun Belt Conference regular season crown and was the ninth straight win over the Warhawks.
ULM fell to 28-21 and 9-10 with the loss. The Cajuns will try to claim the outright Sun Belt title with a win at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Sam Roe actually began the home run parade with a solo shot in the second. In the third, Maddie Hayden sparked a two-run frame for a 3-0 Cajuns lead with an RBI single.
It wouldn’t be that easy, though. UL starter Chloe Riassetto gave up four runs and six hits in the third inning.
Riassetto didn’t get out of the third, finishing with four runs on seven hits with no walks or strikeouts in 2.1 innings.
The two pitchers have been complementing each other all season long and it was Sam Landry’s turn on this night.
Landry got the win to improve to 19-7 on the season after allowing no runs on three hits, no walks and striking out one in 4.2 innings.