‍In front of a lively home crowd at Lamson Park, the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns softball team found a way to grind out a gritty 2-1 win over South Alabama in extra innings, thanks to a clutch walk-off hit from Kayla Falterman.

Despite outhitting the Jaguars 10 to 5, Louisiana had to claw back late to secure the victory, scoring once in the 7th to tie it and sealing the deal with a single run in the bottom of the 8th.

The game was a pitchers’ duel early, with both teams struggling to push across runs. South Alabama (17-25, 6-9 Sun Belt) managed to strike first with a run in the top of the sixth, but Louisiana (21-22, 7-9) refused to go quietly.

In the seventh, Dayzja Williams put the Cajuns on the board with an RBI that tied the game and injected life into the home dugout. Louisiana loaded the bases more than once throughout the contest, but South Alabama starter Olivia Cato repeatedly escaped trouble, stranding 14 Cajun runners on base.

Mallory Wheeler entered in relief for Louisiana and delivered a lockdown performance over 2.2 innings, allowing just one hit and no runs while striking out two to earn her ninth win of the season.

The decisive moment came in the bottom of the 8th. With one out and runners on, Falterman—who had already notched two hits on the night—ripped a single that sent the Lamson Park faithful into a frenzy. The walk-off not only gave the Cajuns the win but also a much-needed jolt in conference play.

Maddie Hayden and Mia Liscano both had two hits apiece to fuel the Cajuns' offensive attack, while Sam Roe reached base multiple times and was hit by pitches twice.

The win pushes Louisiana closer to .500 and helps build momentum heading into the final stretch of the regular season.

Next up, the Cajuns will look to ride this momentum through the rest of the weekend series and keep climbing the Sun Belt standings.

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