The 16th-ranked Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns lost their first two games of the 2018 college softball season on Saturday.

Louisiana was swept in a non-conference doubleheader by the second-ranked Florida Gators at Lamson Park, losing the opener, 4-0, before also dropping the nightcap, 9-0, in 6-inning, mercy-rule fashion.

Florida shutout the Cajuns twice, outscoring Louisiana, 13-0, while limiting UL to only six hits over the two contests.

The losses marked the first two setbacks for the Cajuns, after opening the season with 6-consecutive victories.

In the opener, it was a pitchers duel for the first five innings, before Florida opened things up, after five innings of scoreless softball.

Louisiana did create some scoring chances against Florida pitcher Kelly Barnhill, the 2017 National Player of the Year, having a runner thrown out at the plate in the first inning, prior to putting runners at second and third with only one out in the third inning, but failing to score.

Florida plated the only runs of the game in the top half of the 6th inning, scoring four times, with the first two coming on a one-out, two-run home run by Nicole DeWitt, her first of the season, and the final two coming on a two-out, two-run homer by Janell Wheaton, her first of the year, to give them a 4-0 lead.

That would be all that they would need, as the Gators went on to capture the 4-0 shutout triumph.

Florida, who outhit Louisiana, 5-2, was paced at the plate by DeWitt and Wheaton, who each homered, while UL's only two hits were on singles by Alissa Dalton and Kelli Martinez.

Barnhill (3-0) recorded the win in the circle for the Gators. tossing a complete-game, two-hit shutout, while striking out 8.

Kylee Jo Trahan (3-1), who came in in relief of starter Casey Dixon, suffered the loss for the Cajuns, allowing 2 runs on 2 hits over 2.1 innings pitched.

View the game one box score here.

In the second game, Florida scored early and often, plating four runs in the top half of the first inning, as they forced Louisiana starter Carrie Boswell to throw 55 first-inning pitches.

The Gators scored four runs on two hits in the frame, including a two-run single by Jordan Matthews, as well as a run-scoring single off the bat of pitcher Aleshia Ocasio.

The Gators added two more runs in the top half of the 4th inning, courtesy of a two-run homer by DeWitt, her second of the year, and second of the day, to widen their advantage to 6-0.

Florida put up three runs in the top half of the 6th inning, without the benefit of a hit, as they coasted to the 9-0 mercy-rule win, in 6 innings.

Florida, who outhit Louisiana, 6-4, was paced at the plate by DeWitt, who homered, and Amana Lorenz, who collected two hits, while UL's only three hits were on singles by Beth Ashley, Casidy Chaumont, Dalton, and Kourtney Gremillion.

Ocasio (4-0) recorded the win in the circle for the Gators. tossing a six-inning complete-game, four-hit shutout, while striking out 6.

Boswell (0-1) suffered the loss for the Cajuns, allowing 6 runs on 6 hits over 3.2 innings pitched.

View the game two box score here.

With the two wins, Florida improved to 8-0 on the season, while Louisiana fell to 6-2.

The two teams will conclude their three-game set with a Sunday single game beginning at 1 o'clock.

You can hear all the play-by-play action on sports Radio ESPN 1420 and espn1420.com, beginning with the pregame show at 12:45 pm.

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