Ruston, La. – Behind dominant pitching from
Allie Floyd and
Emma Hutchinson and a 10th-inning walk-off sacrifice fly from
Kylie Neel, the Louisiana Tech Softball team defeated UTSA, 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field, completing a series sweep of the Roadrunners.
Tech got the only run it would need with one out in the bottom of the 10th when
Kylie Neel sent a 1-1 pitch from the Roadrunners' Jamie Gilbert to centerfield, allowing
Bailey Wright to race home for the game's only run. Wright led off the inning with a single through the right side before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt from
Sierra Sacco and reaching third courtesy of an
Amanda Gonzalez single through the left side.
The Lady Techsters' pitching staff was dominant, as usual.
Allie Floyd got the start, pitching five scoreless innings in which she struck out three UTSA batters and allowed just two hits.
Emma Hutchinson picked up the win by spinning five shutout innings in relief, allowing five hits while striking out two.
Tech did not allow a run all weekend in its 24 innings pitched against a UTSA team that entered the series having only been shut out three times all season. It was the first time in program history that the Lady Techsters have shut out a conference foe in all three games of the series.
LA Tech is now 26-18 overall and 8-7 in Conference USA play. The Lady Techsters sit a half-game back of Western Kentucky in sixth place in the Conference USA standings.
NOTABLES
-
Kylie Neel extended her reached base streak to 15 and hitting streak to nine games with a single up the middle in the first inning.
- The sweep was the Lady Techsters second sweep this season and first Conference USA sweep. Tech swept SEMO to open the season, defeating the Redhawks 4-0, 8-0 and 6-1.
- The LA Tech pitching staff has now thrown 24-consecutive scoreless innings which is the second longest streak this season. Tech threw 27 scoreless innings, March 4-7 of this season.
- Neel's game winning sacrifice fly drove was her team-best 35
th RBI of the season which ranks fourth in Conference USA. Neel has driven in the game-winning run in back-to-back games.
- The win was the 1,286th all-time for Tech and the 517th all-time in Ruston.
- The shutout was the 11th by the Louisiana Tech pitching staff this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Josh Taylor called on
Allie Floyd to make her 11th start of the season for LA Tech, while Kenzi Schultz made her fourth start of the year for the Roadrunners
.
Floyd retired her first six batters faced in her first two innings in the circle, picking up a strikeout in the process.
The Lady Techsters put runners on with two outs in the first two innings. In the bottom of the first,
Kylie Neel singled up the middle to increase her hitting streak to nine games.
Brooke Diaz doubled to the right-centerfield gap in the second inning.
Floyd worked another scoreless frame in the third, with the only blemish being a two-out single by the Roadrunners' Cierra Mata.
With one out in the bottom of the third,
Sierra Sacco and
Amanda Gonzalez recorded back-to-back singles up the middle. Following the singles, UTSA made a pitching change and brought in Jamie Gilbert.
Kylie Neel walked to load the bases. Gilbert escaped the jam with back-to-back strikeouts and the game remained scoreless.
Floyd picked up her third strikeout of the game in a scoreless fourth inning. Tech was retired in order during the bottom half.
Neither team was able to muster any offense in the fifth.
Emma Hutchinson entered the game in the sixth and kept the Roadrunners at bay with a scoreless frame. UTSA put unners on with a pair of singles, but Hutchinson issued a ground out to
Amanda Gonzalez at shortstop to get out of the inning.
Kylie Neel reached on an error by UTSA shortstop Kat Ibarra to lead off the bottom of the sixth. However, the Lady Techsters could not advance her.
Emma Hutchinson sat the Roadrunners down in order in the top of the seventh. Tech couldn't break through at the plate in the bottom half.
Sierra Sacco led off the bottom of the eighth with an infield single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, but that was as far as she would get.
Hutchinson made it nine straight Roadrunners retired with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Caroline Easom singled through the left side with one out in the bottom of the ninth. The Bossier City product would be the only baserunner of the inning.
In the top of the 10th, a single to left field by Lindsey Davis snapped Hutchinson's streak of 10 consecutive batters retired. One out later, Ciara Mata singled to left field to put runners on first and second, with leadoff batter Kat Ibarra stepping to the plate. Ibarra beat out a slow roller to first base for an infield single to load the bases. Hutchinson and Tech escaped the jam, by getting Marena Estell to fly out to Sacco in centerfield for the final out of the frame.
Bailey Wright had a great display of hitting, smashing a two-strike changeup from Gilbert through the right side for a leadoff single in the bottom of the 10th.
Sierra Sacco then moved Wright over with a sacrifice bunt.
Amanda Gonzalez singled through the left side to advance Wright to third. Gonzalez took second on the play due to an errant throw by the UTSA left fielder. A batter later,
Kylie Neel stepped to the plate and sent a sacrifice fly to centerfield, allowing Wright to score, giving the Lady Techsters the 1-0 win and series sweep.
Hutchinson got the win to improve to 3-1 on the season while Gilbert took the loss to fall to 1-8 putting UTSA at 7-32 this season and 3-11 in conference play.
NEXT UP
Tech will be back in action at on Friday, April 21, when they open up a three-game series at UTEP.
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.
