HAMMOND, La. – The Louisiana Tech softball team lost a heartbreaker against Southeastern as the Lady Lions won 5-4 courtesy of a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the seventh inning on Wednesday night at North Oak Park in Hammond, La.

Tech entered the bottom of the seventh with a 4-3 lead and junior Brook Melnychuk in the circle with a save opportunity after being brought in for freshman Allie Floyd.
Melnychuk got started by retiring the leadoff batter on a ground ball that she fielded and flipped to Manning for the first out. The tying run reached on a single to left and later advanced to second courtesy of a wild pitch. The Lady Lions' Lexi Johnson than tripled to center field to tie the game before Bailey Krolczyk walked it off with a sacrifice fly to left that brought in Johnson and gave Southeastern the win.

Junior Lauren Menzina started in the circle for the Lady Techsters. Menzina walked the Lady Lions' Cam Goodwin to lead off the bottom of the first and then a sacrifice bunt later, Madison Rayner stepped to the plate and hit a two-run home run to center to make it 2-0 Southeastern at the end of one.

In the bottom of the second, Louisiana Tech Pitching Coach Chelsea Cohen made a change with one out and runners on first and second, sending freshman Allie Floyd into the game. Floyd responded by getting two ground outs to keep the two-run deficit. The East Bernard, Texas product was solid in her 4.2 innings of work, allowing one run while striking out one and surrendering five hits.

After a slow start offensively for Tech, Kylie Neel got the Lady Techsters' first hit of the ballgame when she singled up the middle with two outs in the top of the fourth.

After a scoreless fifth in the circle from Floyd, Senior Bailey Wright doubled to center field to lead off the top of the sixth, extending her hitting streak to four games. Alyssa Dean flew out to center before Wright advanced to third on a passed ball. Back-to-back walks to Sacco and Gonzalez made it bases loaded for Kylie Neel, who responded with a single through the right side that scored both Wright and Sacco to make it a tie ball game.

Brooke Diaz then crushed a bases-clearing double to center field to give Tech a 4-2 lead.

Southeastern answered back with a two-out single in the bottom of the sixth to make it 4-3 in favor of the Techsters, before walking it off in the seventh.

Jordyn Manning and Wright walked with one out in the seventh, forcing the Lady Lions to re-enter starter KK Ladner. Alyssa Dean then laid down a bunt that stalled directly on the third-base line to load the bases. However, Ladner escaped the jam and ended the inning with a pair of strikeouts.

Southeastern's KK Ladner quieted the Lady Techsters' bats by striking out 11 and allowing three hits on her way to her first victory of the season. Melnychuk fell to 1-1 on the season with the loss.

Neel led the way at the plate for Tech by going 2-3 with 2 RBI and a run scored.

NEXT UP
The Lady Techsters will be back in action this weekend when they travel to the Mardi Gras Mambo inYoungsville, Louisiana, where they will play five games in three days. Tech will open the tournament with Toledo (2 p.m.) and Manhattan (4 p.m.) on Friday, then will face St. Thomas (3 p.m.) and Florida A&M (5 p.m.) on Saturday before closing out the weekend with Gardner Webb (11 a.m.) on Sunday. 

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