RUSTON, La. – Following a pair of emotionally draining late inning losses on Saturday, Louisiana Tech head coach
Josh Taylor wanted to see how his team would respond on Sunday.
He liked what he saw.
Tech (6-4), which lost 8-7 to Tulsa – giving up eight runs in the final inning – and 4-2 to Sam Houston State in extra innings less than 24 hours earlier, came out and avenged both setbacks Sunday, defeating Tulsa 3-2 and Sam Houston State 5-0 at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
"I challenged them," said Taylor. "Even in the first inning of game one today, I went out and challenged the entire infield. I wanted to see how we would respond to that type of adversity, much of it we created ourselves.
"We are a long way from where we want to be, but I am proud with what I saw today. We have the talent to compete in every game and give ourselves a chance to win. We just have to learn how to win. We took a step forward today."
Tech got great pitching performances from
Emma Hutchinson and
Audrey Pickett on Sunday. Hutchinson (3-2) got the win, tossing 7.0 innings while allowing just two runs – one earned – on five hits and four walks with three strikeouts against Tulsa.
Pickett (3-2) wasn't going to be outdone. The senior threw a complete-game shutout, allowing just seven hits and one walk while striking out three.
The Tech staff combined for a sub-2.00 earned run average over the four games.
They got some help from their defense on Sunday. Both games saw great individual defensive plays. None bigger than
Katelin Cooper's catch on the dead sprint at the wall in left field to rob a Tulsa hitter of extra bases in a 2-2 game in the top of the seventh. It wasn't Cooper's only web gem of weekend.
The Tech infield was also solid.
Amanda Gonzalez made a tough catch on a ball right in front of the netting that runs down the third base line for the second out of the top of the seventh against Tulsa.
And
Caroline Easom saved a hit and multiple runs, recording the final out with the bases loaded in the top of the seventh against Tulsa on a great play on a hard ground ball up the middle.
Those three plays set the stage for freshman – and birthday girl –
Aleya Hill in the bottom of the seventh against the Golden Hurricane. With one out, Hill pinch hit and drilled a 1-1 pitch high and deep over the right field wall for her first collegiate home run – a walk-off winner to give the Lady Techsters the 3-2 win.
Hill wasn't the only one with clutch hits on Sunday.
Lindsay Edwards drilled a full count pitch up the middle with two outs to score pinch runner
Tanjala Smith with the tying run in the bottom of the sixth against Tulsa.
In the night cap,
Madie Green drilled her team-leading third home run deep over the centerfield wall with two outs in the second to give Tech a 2-0 lead. Cooper drove home three runs in the 5-0 win, including two on a double to right centerfield in the third inning.
Bayli Wright, who missed the last three games due to illness, came back Sunday and was 2-for-3 at the plate in the win over Sam Houston (if not for a diving catch in RF, Wright would have done 3-for-3 on the day).
"This group knows we are going to coach them hard," said Taylor. "We aren't going to settle for average. They have shown they are willing to work and be coached hard. If we can continue to have that mindset, I'm anxious to see what the rest of the season holds. But we know we have a long way to go."
It was a day that the young Techster team needed. And hopefully a day that proves to them what they are capable of as they are set to host Stephen F. Austin Tuesday at 6 p.m.
