April 1, 2011

Box Score

!-- LINKS TO RELATED PAGES BEGIN --> Listen Live

RENO - Louisiana Tech belted four home runs and Meghan Krieg recorded 13 strikeouts to lead the Lady Techsters to a 12-4 run-rule win over Nevada Friday afternoon at Hixson Park in Western Athletic Conference action.

Allie Geisler led the home run parade as the junior catcher hit her fifth and sixth long balls of the season while Janna Frandrup and Meghan Knowles each registered one home run each in the 12-hit outburst.

After scoring only two runs in three losses to Fresno State last weekend, Tech (10-24, 1-3 WAC) scored in five of six innings to record its fourth straight victory against the Wolf Pack (9-21, 0-4 WAC).

"We did swing the bats well," said Tech head coach Sarah Dawson. "Allie's two home runs were line drives that went out. Janna's was a line drive that went out. We hit a lot of balls hard today; even some of our outs. Hopefully, this will build a little confidence."

Frandrup got LA Tech on the board in the first, hitting her fourth home run of the season - a two-run blast - over the left field wall as the Lady Techsters took a 2-0 lead. After Krieg struck out the side in the bottom of the first, Knowles launched a solo home run over the left field wall in the second as the lead increased to 3-0.

Tech added four runs in the top of the third inning highlighted by Heather Doiron's two-run double and Knowles' run-scoring single off Nevada starter Mallory Darby.

"We talked to the kids about that after the first inning," Dawson said. "We said we were in the same position that we've been in some game recently where we had a small lead after the first inning. I wanted to see how we respond. I give them credit for learning from their past mistakes (when we didn't continue to add on). We had a different approach and a different mentality today."

While Tech built a 7-0 lead, Krieg cruised in the circle as striking out eight of the first nine batters she faced and not allowing a hit until a seeing-eye single through the left side to lead off the fourth inning.

Tech made the score 9-0 in the fifth inning on a solo home run by Geisler deep over the centerfield wall and an RBI single by Molly Goza.

It appeared as though Krieg was going to finish the game in the fifth when she retired the first two batters she faced. However, Nevada's bats then came to life as the next six batters reached - five via base hits - as the Wolf Pack plated four runs to cut the deficit to 9-4.

"Meghan did a really good job," Dawson said. "She kept them off-balance early. I said earlier this week that I wish we could have an easy one where everything went well. It looked like that was going to happen and then Nevada scores four runs with two outs in the bottom of the fifth.

"It was a great opportunity for our kids to show what they were made of and not let it negatively affect them. It allowed them to deal with disappointment and adversity and overcome. We came right back and scored three runs. It was an encouraging sign."

Geisler and the Techsters responded in the sixth. After Charday Wilson singled and Frandrup was hit by a pitch, Geisler unloaded with a three-run home run over the centerfield fence to give Tech an eight-run lead.

Krieg surrendered two hits in the bottom of the sixth but recorded her 13th strikeout of the game against Karley Hopkins to end the contest.

Tech recorded a season-high in runs, hits, home runs, extra base hits and RBI in the contest.

Geisler (2 hits, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 runs), Frandrup (2 hits, 1 HR, 3 runs, 2 RBI), Doiron (2 hits, 2 runs, 2 RBI), and Knowles (2 hits, 1 HR, 2 runs, 2 RBI) led Tech offensively.

Krieg (6-13) picked up the win, allowing four runs - only one earned - on eight hits and no walks while striking out 13 batters. It is Krieg's seventh double digit strikeout game this season and was one away from her season-high of 14 which came against 22nd ranked Texas A&M.

Darby (9-14) took the loss, giving up 12 runs - 11 earned - on 11 hits and two walks with only one strikeout.

The two teams will play a doubleheader Saturday at 3 p.m. CT. Both games can be heard on the internet by clicking on the listen live link above.