"We saw a lot of real positive adjustments being made today offensively," Taylor said. This team continues to improve from week to week and we are confident that we will be where we want to be when Conference USA play begins."
Game One
Tech was the designated visiting team against the Golden Hurricane and got to work early.
Amanda Gonzalez stepped to the plate with two outs and drove in
Kylie Neel and
Brooke Diaz with a single to centerfield to make it 2-0 Tech.
Allie Floyd got the ball for her third start of the season and retired her first six batters faced in the circle.
In the bottom of the third, Tulsa opened the inning with a leadoff double down the right field line for its first hit and base runner. Two batters later, the Golden Hurricane made it a one-run ballgame with a sacrifice fly to right field.
With two outs and runners on the corners in the top of the fourth inning, head coach
Josh Taylor called for a double steal which
Sierra Sacco and
Alyssa Dean executed perfectly as Sacco drew a throw and took second while Dean advanced home to give Tech a 3-1 lead.
Tulsa fought back with a run in the fourth, courtesy of a single through the right side.
Diaz singled to open up the fifth inning and then Taylor elected to pinch-run freshman
Jina Baffuto in place of Diaz. Amanda Gonazlez then ripped a single into center, which Baffuto read perfectly to advance to third, while Gonzalez took second on the throw. Katelin Cooper followed by driving them both in with a single to centerfield to cushion the Lady Techsters' lead, 5-2.
Diaz matched a career-high with her third hit of the game with a single through the left side in the top of the sixth.
Allie Floyd retired the Golden Hurricane for the fourth time in the ballgame by issuing a groundout, strikeout and lineout to breeze through the bottom of the sixth.
Tech added two more in the top of the seventh as
Caroline Easom scored on a wild pitch and
Kylie Neel drove in
Jordyn Manning with a single to left field.
Tulsa did not go down without a fight as the Golden Hurricane plated two with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
Mary Martinez then came in and relief and got her first batter to fly out to right field, then ended the game by getting Tulsa's Imani Edwards to fly out to center to give Tech the 7-4 win.
Floyd earned her second win of the season, while Martinez picked up her third save. Kylee Nash took the loss for Tulsa to move to 3-4.
Game Two
Brooke Diaz continued her hot streak at the plate with a two-RBI single to give the Lady Techsters a 2-0 lead at the end of the top of the first.
Brook Melnychuk got the start but was replaced by
Emma Hutchinson in the bottom of the first.
Mississippi State then struck back by plating three in its first appearance at the plate courtesy of an RBI double and two singles that drove in runs to make it 3-2.
In the third inning, the Bulldogs added two more when shortstop Nadia Barbary had a single to left field that drove in two.
Jordyn Manning narrowed the differential to two with a solo home run off the left field foul pole in the fourth inning. Her home run was her second on the season and the fourth in her career. Following the Manning homer,
Caroline Easom doubled to left centerfield before coming around to score on a throwing error by Mississippi State second baseman Kat Wallace, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 5-4.
Brooke Diaz caught her fourth runner trying to steal this season in the bottom of the fifth as
Mary Martinez threw her 13th scoreless frame of the season.
In the fifth inning, Tech was retired in order in the top half. Mississippi State added another in the bottom half on a two-out single to expand its lead to 6-4.
Easom picked up her third hit of the game with a single in the sixth, setting a new season high and tying her career high, which she has achieved four times.
Mississippi State tacked on two more in the seventh to give them an 8-4 lead which would be the final.
Melnychuk got the loss to fall to 1-2 on the season, while Aspen Wesley got the win to move to 3-1 on the year for Mississippi State.
NEXT UP
The Lady Techsters close out the South Alabama Invitational tomorrow, facing Furman at 9 a.m. and South Alabama at 1:30 p.m. The game against South Alabama will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
For all the latest in Lady Techster Softball, follow them on Twitter (@LATechSB), Instagram (@LATechSB) and Facebook (Louisiana Tech Softball) or visit the official website at LATechSports.com.
