RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech Softball team fell 3-1 in an 11-inning pitchers dual to open Conference USA play against North Texas on Friday evening at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
Emma Hutchinson and
Allie Floyd pitched phenomenally, allowing a combined four hits and zero runs over 11 innings against one of the top offenses in the conference. Hutchinson allowed just one hit and struck out two in her 4.2 innings of work, while Floyd surrendered three hits and struck out one in 6.2 innings pitched.
Both teams had their chances to break through in extra innings, with North Texas finally capitalizing with a two-run 11th inning which gave them the 3-1 win.
For the second consecutive game, Tech got its run courtesy of a solo home run as
Kylie Neel sent one over the right-centerfield wall in the bottom of the sixth inning. The big fly was Neel's first of the season and the fifth of her career.
Notables
- LA Tech went to extra innings in consecutive games, marking the first time since April 27-30, 2021 when they beat Northwestern State (3-2, 15 inn.) and Southern Miss (2-1, 11 inn.)
- Kylie Neel hit her first home run of the season, which was the fifth of her career.
- The LA Tech pitching staff has allowed just three earned runs over their last 43 innings of work.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Emma Hutchinson made her sixth start of the season and first career start against the Mean Green. While Liberty transfer McKenzie Waggoner got the ball for North Texas.
Both teams put multiple runners on the bases in the first inning but had little to show for it.
Jodie Epperson of North Texas doubled down the left field line to open the game. Epperson later came around to score on a throwing error for the game's first run. However, Hutchinson escaped a one-out bases-loaded jam with a pop up to Gonzalez and a strike out to minimize the damage.
Sierra Sacco led off the bottom half with a leadoff walk, then was thrown out on a sacrifice bunt attempt at second, putting
Amanda Gonzalez on first. Gonzalez later stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Neel walked on the very next pitch putting runners on the corners with two outs, but the Mean Green escaped with a strikeout.
Hutchinson retired North Texas in order in the second inning, highlighted by third baseman
Bailey Wright making a leaping grab on a line drive to end the inning.
Jordyn Manning just missed her third home run of the season in the bottom of the second, doubling off the top of the wall in left-centerfield.
Hutchinson made it six-straight batters retired with a 1-2-3 top of the third.
Sierra Sacco led off the Techsters in the bottom of the third by singling up the middle. She then advanced to second, courtesy of a sacrifice bunt by Gonzalez, but Wagoner retired the next two batters to keep them off the board.
Hutchinson went 1-2-3 through the Mean Green for the third-straight frame in the top of the fourth.
In the bottom half, Easom battled back after being down 0-2 to draw a walk to put a runner on base with two outs. Manning then hit a ball hard to the right-centerfield, but UNT centerfielder Lexi Cobb made a nice running catch in the gap to end the inning.
Hutchinson made it 11-straight batters retired before handing the ball over to
Allie Floyd, who issued a ground out to Gonzalez at shortstop to end the top of the fifth inning.
The Lady Techsters could not get anything going in the bottom half, being retired in sequence.
Cobb broke the Techsters' streak of consecutive batters retired with a single down the left field line to lead off the sixth inning, but that was all that they would get.
In the bottom of the sixth,
Kylie Neel knotted things up with a towering shot to right-centerfield that left completely left the ballpark to make it 1-1. The solo shot was Neel's first of the year and the fifth of her career.
Both teams were retired in order in the seventh inning as the Lady Techsters went to extra-innings for the second-straight games marking the first time since April 27-30 of 2021 that they have accomplished the feat.
Floyd breezed past the bats of North Texas in the top of the eighth with a 1-2-3 inning.
Amanda Gonzalez reached on a walk with run out in the bottom of the eighth. She then stole second with two outs and took third on a wild pitch during an intentional walk to put runners on the corner, but Wagoner escaped by getting a flyout to left field.
Both teams sent each other down consecutively in the ninth and 10th innings.
Cierra Simon led off the 11th with a bunt single and was sacrificed to second base before moving to third on an error. Simon then scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Rylee Nicholson to make it 2-1 before Kailey Gamble singled up the middle to give North Texas the 3-1 lead, which would be the final.
LA Tech then went down in order in the bottom of the 11th as the Mean Green took game one of a three-game series. McKenzie Wagoner improved to 5-1 after throwing a career-high 11 innings.
Allie Floyd took the loss to fall to 2-3 on the season.
NEXT UP
The Lady Techsters are back in action to continue the series tomorrow with a 2 p.m. first pitch at Dr Billy Bundrick Field.
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.
