Lafayette, La. – The Louisiana Tech Softball team suffered its first defeat of the season on Tuesday night, falling to UL-Lafayette, 9-3 at Lamson Park.

Claire Raley paced the Bulldogs offensively, going 2-4 at the plate with a single, a home run, 2 RBI, and two runs scored. Raley's two-run round-tripper came in the top of the fifth when she smashed a 1-0 pitch from the Ragin' Cajuns Chloe Riassetto over the wall in the right-center field. Nicole Hammoude drove in the Bulldogs' first run of the ballgame with an RBI single to right-center that scored Raley in the top of the first. Alexis Gilio, Kaylee Grealy, Kylie Neel, and Alannah Rogers also recorded a hit in the loss.

Defensive miscues proved costly in the loss as the Bulldogs' infield committed four errors which accounted for three unearned runs scored by the Ragin' Cajuns.

Brook Melnychuk took the loss in her third start of the season to fall to 2-1. Riassetto earned the victory for the Ragin' Cajuns to improve to 3-0.

NOTABLES
- Nicole Hammoude extended her reached-base streak to seven games with a first-inning RBI single that brought home Claire Raley.
- Claire Raley hit her team-leading third home run of the season. Raley is one home run shy of matching her 2023 single-season total of four which she accomplished at Utah State. Raley has now homered in back-to-back contests for the first time in her career.
- Raley extended her hitting streak to five games with a single and a home run. It marked her 18^th career multi-hit game. She also drove in multiple runs for her 11^th career multi-RBI game
- Caroline Easom turned her 50^th career double play. She ranks third in program history in double plays turned.

QUOTABLES
"I was happy with our energy level on a tough road test. Pitching and defense wins at this level. We will need to play better defensively moving forward and I am confident we will. This is a very talented team and we will make our adjustments. We are looking forward to being back at the Billy this weekend." - head coach Josh Taylor

HOW IT HAPPENED
Brook Melnychuk made her third start for the Bulldogs, while Chloe Riassetto made her second start for the Ragin' Cajuns (6-5). Both pitchers carried 2-0 records into the contest.
 
Claire Raley started the game with a leadoff single. Alexis Gilio then moved her to second base with a sacrifice bunt. With two outs in the top of the first, Nicole Hammoude battled back from down in the count before driving a 3-2 pitch to right field for an RBI single to bring home Raley and give Tech the early 1-0 advantage.
 
In the bottom of the first, Melnychuk retired the Ragin' Cajuns in order, highlighted by a diving grab in foul territory by left fielder Katelin Cooper.
 
In the top second inning, Caroline Easom drew a leadoff walk but would not get any farther as Riassetto sat the next three Tech batters down in order.
 
The Ragin Cajuns answered back in the bottom of the second. Samantha Graeter led off the inning with a double to left-center field. Lauren Allred then reached on a fielding error to put two runners on with no outs. With one out in the inning, ULL catcher Victoria Valdez hit a three-run home run to left center field to give the hosts a 3-1 lead.
 
Alexis Gilio would reach on a throwing error by Riassetto in the third, but she would be the lone Tech baserunner in the inning. UL-Lafayette would take advantage of three Tech errors combined with three singles and a walk to plate four more in the third and take a 7-1 lead.
 
Aubre Seaney led off the fourth with a walk, marking the third time Tech put the leadoff runner on in the contest. Caroline Easom then hit a ground ball up the middle that the ULL second baseman backhanded and flipped to the shortstop for the force out; Seaney was then struck with the throw going to first and ruled out. Riassetto would issue a strikeout to end the visitor's half of the fourth.
 
Alyssa Martin entered the circle in relief of Melnychuk in the bottom of the fourth. UL-Lafayette would string together a pair of doubles and a single in the bottom half to make it 8-1 in its favor.
 
The Bulldogs battled back in the fifth inning. Alannah Rogers led off with a single to center field to extend her reached-base streak to six games. Claire Raley smashed a 1-0 pitch over the wall in right-center to bring home Rogers and cut the ULL lead to 8-3.
 
The hosts added another run in the bottom of the fifth by the way of a leadoff triple down the right field line by Allred and a double by Sam Roe. Following the extra-base hits to start the frame, Lauren Menzina relieved Martin and sat the next three Ragin' Cajuns down, bookended by an inning-ending strikeout.
 
Tech went down in order in the top of the sixth. Menzina would make it six straight Cajuns retired with a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth that featured another inning-ending strikeout.
 
Kaylee Grealey had a pinch-hit single to center field, and Gilio singled to right field in the seventh, but it was too little too late as the Bulldogs (6-1) suffered their first defeat of the season. 

NEXT UP
The Bulldogs will return home for a four-game series with Missouri State that begins Friday at 6 p.m.
 
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