RUSTON – Louisiana Tech opened its 2023 season by blanking SEMO, 4-0, behind five shutout innings from junior pitcher Brook Melnychuk's debut on Saturday evening at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.

LA Tech (1-0) got off to a hot start with Melnychuk striking out the side in the top of the first before Tech plated three runs in the first courtesy of Amanda Gonzalez and Katelin Cooper getting hit by pitches and back-to-back walks by Jordyn Manning and Caroline Easom and an error by the Red Hawks (0-1) third baseman.

After an impressive first inning, Melnychuk cruised the rest of the way, yielding just three hits, four strikeouts and three walks in her five innings of work to garner her first win as a Lady Techster.

Emma Hutchinson relieved Melnychuk with two scoreless innings in which she struck out three and allowed one hit.
Easom notched the Lady Techster's first hit of the season with a single to right field that gave Tech a 4-0 lead which would prove to be the final.

SEMO threatened in the top of the seventh inning with the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate, but Hutchinson was able to escape the jam by getting SEMO's Kynzie Wrigley to ground out to Caroline Easom to end the game.

Offensively, Jordyn Manning and Bailey Wright also recorded hits, while Katelin Cooper scored two runs. Sierra Sacco extended her streak of reaching base safely to 32 games when she was hit by a pitch in the fourth inning. Overall, Tech drew three walks and was plunked four times by the SEMO pitching staff.

The win was Tech's 13th straight Dr. Billy Bundrick Field which is the nation's fifth-longest home winning streak.

Both teams will be back in action to close out the series with a doubleheader. First pitch is slated for Noon, while the second game is expected to start 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.