April 29, 2011

Box Score

RUSTON - Senior Meghan Krieg pitched a three-hit gem and led Louisiana Tech to a 2-1 victory over San Jose State Friday night at the Lady Techster Softball Complex in the first game of a three-game Western Athletic Conference series.

With the win, Tech (13-34, 4-12 WAC) moves into sole possession of sixth place in the WAC standings while San Jose State (17-32, 3-13) falls into a two-way tie with Nevada for seventh place. Tech and San Jose State will wrap up the series with a doubleheader Saturday starting at 1 p.m.

Krieg (8-20) was in total control through the first six innings, allowing only one hit and two walks, before the Spartans loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh inning and Tech holding onto a 2-0 lead.

Back-to-back singles by Amanda Schatz and Alex Stange to start the final frame put runners on first and second and then Krieg walked Annica Wolfe to load the bases. With the tying run on second and the go-ahead run on first, Krieg struck out Cheryl Freitas for the first out and then induced a ground ball, run-scoring out by BranDee Garcia to make the score 2-1.

With runners on second and third, Krieg struck out Markeisha Collins for the final out of the game.

Tech recorded seven hits in the game compared to only three by the Spartans. The Lady Techsters took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning as Kendra Harmon lined a triple off the right field fence with one out. After Charday Wilson fouled out to left field for the second out, Janna Frandrup lined a double to the left centerfield gap to make the score 1-0.

The Lady Techsters upped the advantage to 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Meghan Knowles singled up the middle as Rachel Allday came on to pinch run. The move paid off as Molly Goza lined a double to straight away centerfield, scoring Allday from first and giving the Lady Techsters the two-run advantage.

Krieg got some defensive help in the top of the sixth as Frandrup made a sliding catch on a foul ball in front of the Spartan dugout and then Goza snared a grounder to her left side and made the play for the second out.

Tech had an opportunity to add to its lead in the bottom of the sixth as Frandrup recorded her third hit of the game, a double to right centerfield. Alex Molina came on in relief of Spartan starter Elyssa Fox and got Allie Geisler to ground out as Frandrup moved to third. Heather Doiron was then hit by a pitch to put runners on first and third but Molina got Knowles to strike out looking and Goza to fly out to centerfield.

Krieg picked up the win, allowing only one run on three hits and three walks while striking out four in the complete-game effort. Frandrup registered a season-high three hits while Harmon, Geisler, Knowles and Goza each registered one hit.

Fox (4-13) took the loss, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and no walks in 5.0 innings of action.