RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech Softball team dropped both ends of its doubleheader to Middle Tennessee by the scores of 5-2 and 2-1 on Saturday afternoon at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.

Sierra Sacco highlighted the LA Tech efforts at the plate by going 3-5 with three runs scored and two stolen bases on the day. She is now on an 11-game hitting streak and has reached base safely in 12-consecutive games. KB Briley also recorded hits in both games and drove in two runs.

Brook Melnychuk made her seventh start of the season in game two and was impressive, allowing just one unearned run on two hits in her five innings pitched.

NOTABLES

• Amanda Gonzalez stole her 10^th base of the season by swiping second in the first inning of game one.
• Gonzalez was hit by a pitch for the 39^th time in her career during the third inning of game one. Gonzalez is the LA Tech all-time leader in the hit by pitch category. 
• Sierra Sacco extended her reached base streak to 12 games with a walk and two hits in game one and a walk in game two. Sacco kept her hitting streak intact with a single in the bottom of the seventh. She has now recorded a hit in 11-straight games.
• Sacco's two hits in game one marked her seventh multi-hit game this year.
• Sacco stole bases in both games to run her season total to 20.
• Brooke Diaz caught her seventh runner trying to steal this season by throwing out a runner at second to end the top of the fourth inning.

 
GAME TWO
Brook Melnychuk made her seventh start of the season in game two. The Blue Raiders went with Keri Munn in the circle for the contest. 

Melnychuk needed just five pitches to get through the first inning as the Saskatchewan, Canada product retired Middle Tennessee in order.

Sierra Sacco led off the bottom half with a walk, then promptly stole second for her 20th stolen base of the season. KB Briley followed with a single up the middle, bringing home Sacco and giving Tech a 1-0 lead.

Melnychuk made it six-straight batters retired with a 1-2-3 second inning. Tech was retired in order in the bottom of the second.

In the third, Middle Tennessee put a runner on for the first time in the game on an error, but that was all that they would get.

Sacco drew her second walk of the game to lead off the bottom of the third but the Blue Raiders escaped courtesy of an unassisted double play by shortstop Laura Mealer.

Middle Tennessee knotted things up at 1-1 with a two-out single down the left field line in the top of the fourth.

KB Briley was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the fourth to get one base, however the Techsters stranded her.

Melnycuk kept the Blue Raiders at bay with a scoreless fifth inning. Kylie Neel beat out a ground ball to second base for an infield single with one out in the bottom of the fifth for the second hit of the game for Tech.

Mary Martinez relieved Brook Melnychuk to start the sixth inning. With two outs in the inning, the Blue Raiders took the lead, 2-1, on a sacrifice fly by Julia Garcia.

Briley reached on a walk to start the sixth. Alyssa Dean then pinch-ran for Briley and delivered by stealing second and taking third on a passed ball. Paris Endris followed with a walk. Olivia Ellingson stole second after pinch-running for Endris to put runners on second and third and two outs but Munn escaped with a pop out to shortstop.

Martinez put up a scoreless frame in the seventh, highlighted by Kylie Neel throwing out a runner at third base to end the inning.

Sacco singled in the bottom of the seventh, but that was all Munn allowed to give Middle Tennessee the win. She is now 5-2 on the season, while Mary Martinez took the loss for Tech to fall to 6-2.

GAME ONE
Costly errors and the inability to drive in runners in scoring position were the story for the Lady Techsters in the first game of the doubleheader.

Sierra Sacco ran her hitting streak to 10 games with a single in the bottom of the fifth inning and Amanda Gonzalez reached base three times courtesy of a single and two free passes.

Allie Floyd was impressive in relief, throwing 5.1 innings, allowing just one run on four hits.

Emma Hutchinson made her seventh start of the season in the series opener, while Gretchen Mead made the start for Middle Tennessee.

Hutchinson started the ballgame by striking out Shelby Echols of Middle Tennessee and then retiring the next two batters with a popup and a ground out to complete the 1-2-3 inning.

In the bottom of the first, Amana Gonzalez was the first base runner of the contest, courtesy of a walk. Gonzalez then stole second for her 10th stolen base of the season, but that's as far as she would get as Echols escaped the inning.

In the top of the second, two errors by Tech and a walk loaded the bases for Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders then capitalized on the mistakes with a pair of singles and a walk to take a 4-0 lead. Allie Floyd relieved Hutchinson with the bases loaded and two outs in the second and got a lineout to end the inning.

Mead retired the Lady Techsters in order during the bottom of the second.

Floyd cruised through the top of the third, retiring the Blue Raiders in order. Second baseman Caroline Easom made a diving play to start the inning and Sierra Sacco threw out a runner at second to cap the top half.

Sacco extended her reached-base streak to 11 games with a two-out walk in the bottom of the third. Sacco then swiped second for her 19th stolen base of the year. Amanda Gonzalez followed by getting hit by a pitch. Katelin Cooper laid down a bunt single to load the bases, but Middle Tennessee escaped the jam to keep the Techsters off the board.

Allie Floyd spun a scoreless top of the fourth, highlighted by catcher Brooke Diaz throwing out her seventh baserunner of the season, trying to steal by cutting down a runner at second for the third out.

LA Tech could not get anything going at the plate in the bottom of the fourth as Mead retired them in order.

Floyd started the fifth inning by striking out Laura Mealer before issuing a groundout and a flyout to retire Middle Tennessee in order.

Sacco and Gonzalez recorded back-to-back singles with two outs in the bottom of the fifth. Katelin Cooper then put the Lady Techsters on the board with a single down the left field line that scored Sacco to make it 4-1. KB Briley then reached on an error by Mead to load the bases, but Middle Tennessee escaped the bases-loaded jam for the second time in the ballgame.

Floyd made it sixth straight batters retired with a 1-2-3 top of the sixth. Mead then replicated Floyd's inning by retiring the Techsters in order in the bottom of the sixth.

Middle Tennessee added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on a two-out single to run its lead to 5-1.

Sierra Sacco singled up the middle in the bottom of the seventh and Cooper walked on four pitches. KB Briley then stepped to the plate and singled to left field to make it 5-2, which would be the final as Mead issued a flyout to left field one batter later to end it.

Hutchinson was credited with the loss, falling to 2-1 on the season, while Mead got the complete-game win to improve to 8-2.

NEXT UP
The Lady Techsters are now to 18-12 on the season and 3-5 in Conference USA play. Tech will close out the series with the Blue Raiders (23-7, 4-1 CUSA) tomorrow at 1 p.m.
 
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