Boxscore

RUSTON ? Louisiana Tech received a strong pitching performance from a pair of hurlers and produced some timely hitting to down Centenary 1-0 Thursday evening at the Lady Techster Softball Complex.

Sophomore Kristin Rupp and junior Lindsey Meadows combined to hold the Ladies (28-22) to only five hits and two walks in the shutout. Rupp started the game for Tech and pitched three strong innings of two-hit ball before giving way to Meadows (4-2), who picked up her fourth win of the season allowing only three hits over the final four frames.

?Our game plan was to use a couple of pitchers tonight,? said Tech head coach Sarah Dawson. ?Obviously every game is important but our conference games are even more important. I expect Kristin and Lindsey and our entire pitching staff to pitch just as well this weekend (against Tulsa).?

Rupp and Meadows both toyed with danger in the first five innings as Centenary?s leadoff hitter in each frame reached base. However, the duo found ways to keep the Ladies off the scoreboard while Tech scratched for a run of its own in the bottom of the fourth.

After freshman Ashley Cameron recorded a one-out single and was sacrificed to second by sophomore Mary Cohn, Dawson decided to pinch run for Cameron with freshman Nikki Ducey and the move paid off. With two outs, senior first baseman Jen LaRussa poked a two-strike pitch into right field and Ducey scored just ahead of the tag at a close play at home plate.

?That?s the one thing we been lacking this year, timely hitting,? Dawson said. ?I knew if Jen would put the ball safely in play into the outfield, we would send Nikki and it worked out. I knew this would be a tough week and this win is a confidence booster heading into Saturday.?

Junior outfielder Brittany Stanley led Tech offensively with two hits, while Amber Miles, Bridget Broadnax, Cameron and LaRussa each registered one hit. Miles recorded her 20th and 21st steals of the season while Stanley registered her 17th as the duo continue to lead the Western Athletic Conference in that category.

Tech returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. in an important WAC doubleheader against Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane is currently 40-15 on the season and in second place in the league with a 9-3 mark while the Techsters sit in third place at 5-5.

?I can?t stress how important this weekend?s series with Tulsa is for us,? Dawson said. ?The only way we can continue to climb in the standings is to beat the teams in front of us and we will be facing a very good Tulsa team Saturday.?