Final Stats

DENTON, Texas - After two quick outs and Jordan Dixon rolling in the circle, the bottom of the fifth was headed towards yet another scoreless frame, but the Lady Techsters had other plans.

Louisiana Tech (32-20) would put together four consecutive two-out hits, capped by a three-run blast off of the bat of senior Krysta Tutsch to score four in the inning and ultimately take home a 6-3 victory over Marshall (30-26) on Wednesday night at the Conference USA Tournament in Denton, Texas.

LA Tech got off to the start they were looking for in Denton as Bailey Allen set the Herd down in order in the top of the first and the Techsters came to the bat and immediately got on the board.

Kristen Miles stepped to the plate in her first appearance and slapped a double down the right field line and with two outs it was the freshman who came up with the clutch hit.

Morgan Turkoly blooped a single to left center bringing Kristen Miles around to score and giving Louisiana Tech a 1-0 lead.

After Tutsch walked and Kassie Harris was hit by a pitch, Turkoly scampered home on a wild pitch and after one frame Louisiana Tech led Marshall 2-0.

Marshall would immediately respond though as Briana Daiss sent the first pitch of the top of the second over the wall in right center cutting the LA Tech lead to 2-1.

Jordan Dixon, the Marshall starter would settle in, while Allen could never get into a rhythm.

Marshall would take their first lead of the game in the top of the fourth as three straight one-out hits brought home two runs, pulling the Herd ahead 3-2.

With no margin for error, head coach Mark Montgomery made the move to the bullpen, calling on freshman Preslee Gallaway to slam the door. Gallaway delivered.

A native of the Dallas area, Gallaway shut the Herd down in front of friends, family and the Louisiana Tech faithful, allowing just one hit over three innings pitched.

"Bailey tried to grind it out," Montgomery said. "She did not have her best stuff but she gave us a good effort. It was amazing to watch Preslee. We were down and we had to shut the door. We could not allow them to score a run. That may have been the game. She came out against a team that had a little momentum and really did a good job of shutting them down and allowing her team to go back into the dugout with a chance."

With the Herd bats in check, the Lady Techsters used a two-out rally to bust the game open.

Kristen Miles started things with a hard single to third base and Pauline Tufi followed with a single through the left side. For the second time in the game, Turkoly did not disappoint with two outs.

The freshman slapped a single right back up the middle, bringing home Miles and knotting the game at 3-3.

"Morgan is special; she really is," Montgomery said. "She is so composed up there. She did not try and do too much. She is such a great hitter and I am just so proud of her. She had some good accolades this weekend, but winning this tournament matters more to her than any of that. Any of our players would gladly trade their individual awards for the big team award at the end."

With the game tied at 3-3 and momentum rapidly shifting to the Lady Techsters' third base dugout, Krysta Tutsch delivered a knockout blow to the Herd.

Tutsch lifted a no-doubt, two-out, three-run home run over the right field wall, giving Louisiana Tech a 6-3 lead.

"Krysta has been struggling, but that is just who she is," Montgomery said. "She may not hit well for a couple of games, but you never give up on her. She is capable of hitting the ball so far, I wish they gave more runs for distance. If they did, we would really be fortunate. That ball went a long way."

Marshall would threaten in the bottom of the seventh, bringing the tying run to the plate, but Turkoly's catch on the warning track ended the game and sent Louisiana Tech to the quarterfinals of the C-USA Tournament.

Louisiana Tech will take the field tomorrow at 2 p.m. against #22 Florida Atlantic. The game will be broadcast on ESPN 97.7 or by downloading the Red Peach Media app.

LA Tech was the last team to defeat the Owls, who enter the tournament with a 47-7 record. The Lady Techsters went down to Boca Raton, Florida and knocked off FAU 5-2 on April 2.