May 13, 2011

Boise State Box Score | Utah State Box Score

FRESNO - Louisiana Tech dropped a heartbreaking 3-2 extra innings marathon to Boise State Thursday in the second day of the 2011 Western Athletic Conference Tournament but rebounded to down Utah State 4-1 to stay alive in the double elimination event at Bulldog Diamond.

Tech (17-38) plays Fresno State Friday at 6:30 p.m. as it tries to advance in the loser's bracket of the four-day tournament.

Senior ace Meghan Krieg tossed every pitch of every inning Thursday, including 215 pitches while working 12.2 innings against the Broncos.

Boise State, the No. 2 seed in the tournament, won the 3 hour, 26 minute game on a sacrifice fly by Holly Bourke with two outs in the bottom of the 13th inning - scoring Tazz Weatherly from third base just in front of Kendra Harmon's throw home.

Tech took an early 2-0 lead against the Broncos, on a two-out, two-run double by Allie Geisler in the top of the third inning. The hit scored Harmon and Janna Frandrup who had reached on a single and a walk.

The lead was short-lived as Boise State freshman Devon Bridges drilled a two-run home run deep over the left field fence, tying the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Krieg and BSU reliever Lela Work battled through the middle innings with neither team plating a run.

With the game tied at 2-2 in the top of the eighth, Louisiana Tech put runners on second and third with two outs for pinch hitter Cassie Krieg, who drilled a hard ground ball up the middle. However, Boise State second baseman Kellie Caplan made a diving stop and threw Cassie Krieg out at first base - robbing LA Tech of two runs.

The game remained tied until the bottom of the 13th inning when Weatherly walked and advanced to second on a single by Caplan. A passed ball allowed the runners to move to second and third and Bourke capitalized with a fly ball to right field, scoring the winning run.

Krieg threw a career-high 12.2 innings, allowing three runs - two earned - on nine hits and eight walks while striking out 16 batters. The 16 strikeouts were a season-high and one off her career high of 17 against Mississippi Valley State.

Geisler recorded a career-high five hits in the game while Harmon added two.

In the night cap, the Lady Techsters came back less than three hours later and defeated Utah State 4-1 behind another gem by Krieg in the circle.

With the game scoreless in the bottom of the fourth inning, Heather Doiron led off with a single and advance to second on a walk by Molly Goza. Katelynn Hill then put down a sacrifice bunt that Kelly Kaneshiro committed a throwing error on, allowing Doiron to score and leaving runners on first and third.

Pinch hitter Erin Kipp then recorded an RBI on a sacrifice fly to left field, upping the advantage to 2-0, and pinch hitter Cassie Krieg followed with an RBI single to left field as Tech led 3-0.

Tech added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth inning on a two-out, RBI triple by Hill - scoring Goza from first base.

Utah State plated its only run of the game in the top of the sixth inning on a RBI double by Kaneshiro. However, Krieg retired Shasta Tyteca and Kali Cancelosi to end the threat.

The Aggies mounted one final threat in the top of the seventh as a single and a walk put runners on first and second with only one out. However, Krieg induced leadoff batter Megan McDonald into a 643 double play to end the game.

Krieg (12-23) allowed only one run on seven hits and one walk while striking out five batters. With the five strikeouts, Krieg moved into third place in Western Athletic Conference history with 862.

Frandrup led Tech with three hits while Harmon, Geisler, Doiron, Hill and Cassie Krieg each added one.