Ruston, La. – The Louisiana Tech Softball team split its doubleheader against Missouri State with an 11-inning 3-2 win in game two and a 7-5 loss in game one on Saturday at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
 
In game two, Caroline Easom gave the Bulldogs (8-2) the walk-off win in the bottom of the 11th when she smashed a single off the outstretched glove of Missouri State (3-8) second baseman Kelsie Lewis, bringing home Alexis Gilio for the game-winning run. Easom would also tie the game in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single to left field that scored Olivia Ellingson.
 
Easom went 3-5 while driving in two of the Bulldogs' three runs in the win. Gilio went 3-6 with a run scored. Sophomore Alannah Rogers could not get out in the nightcap. The Surprise, Ariz., product was a perfect 3-3 with an RBI and a walk. Kaylee Grealy and Brooke Diaz collected doubles, while Aubree Seaney walked three times, two of which were intentional.
 
In the circle, Allie Floyd willed Tech to a victory by pitching seven scoreless innings in relief while striking out two and allowing just two hits and no walks. With the win, Floyd improved to 4-0 on the season.
 
During the loss in game one, offensive woes and a pair of three-run innings from Missouri State were the two thorns in the Bulldogs' side. The Bulldogs plated four runs and brought the potential winning run to the plate with two outs in the seventh but fell short as MSU pitcher Gracie Johnston was able to issue a strikeout to end the game.
 
Gilio led Tech offensively with a 3-4 effort, two runs scored, and an RBI. Easom also went 3-4 with a run scored and Seaney went 2-4 with a double and two RBI. Rogers walked twice, and Karli Sellers and Grealy each recorded pinch-hit singles in the loss.
 
In the circle, Brook Melnychuk fell to 2-2 on the season despite allowing just one earned run in five innings pitched. Left-hander Mackenzie Chacon earned her third win of the season for Missouri State, allowing 10 hits and five earned runs in 6.1 innings of work.

NOTABLES
- Allie Floyd threw seven shutout innings in a relief victory for the second time in her career. She also threw seven innings of shutout ball at ULM on April 4, 2023.
- Alexis Gilio extended her hitting streak to seven games. She tied her career high for hits in a game with three in both contests, marking the fourth and fifth times she has accomplished the feat in her career. Gilio also stole her team-leading fifth base of the season during the 3-2 win in game two.
- Alannah Rogers drew two walks in game one and had three hits in game two to increase her reached-base streak to a team-best nine games.
- Brooke Diaz caught her 34th runner stealing of her career when she threw out the Bears' Taylor Akers in the top of the eighth. Diaz has thrown out four runners attempting to steal this season.
- Caroline Easom recorded three hits in both contests. She now has 10 three-hit games in her career. Easom also had two RBI in the victory in game two, marking her 14^th career multi-RBI game.
- With the game two win, LA Tech has now won 523 games at home all time, including 46 at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
- The 11-inning contest in game two was the first extra-innings game of the season for Tech. The Bulldogs are now 91-83-2 in extra-inning games since the program's inception in 1980.
- LA Tech is 10-6 all time against Missouri State
- The Bulldogs have an all-time record of 12-9 in games played on Feb. 24.
- LA Tech is 8-0 this season in games started by an opposing right-handed pitcher. It was the 268th win against a right-handed starting pitcher this decade.
- The game two win was the 1,282nd in program history for Louisiana Tech.

QUOTABLES
"Our pitching was good all day. Game one got away from us a little bit and we ended up scoring four in the seventh but it was not enough. We just got too far behind. I was proud of our grit in game two and we found a way to get a win. We cannot get swept in a doubleheader at home. We did not allow that. We got one more tomorrow where we can take three out of four and go into next week on a high. We are still learning a little bit about ourselves and what we are all about." – head coach Josh Taylor.
 
GAME TWO
Lauren Menzina earned the start for the Bulldogs, while Makenzi Swick got the start for the Bears.
 
Menzina breezed through the first by facing the minimum, getting each batter to ground out to Jina Baffuto at shortstop. Easom walked in the bottom half, but that was all Tech could muster at the plate.
 
A single from each side was the only action in the second inning. Alannah Rogers laid a perfect bunt along the first-base line that allowed her to reach for the Bulldogs' first hit of the contest.
 
Missouri State took a 1-0 lead in the third courtesy of an RBI double down the left-field line off the bat of third baseman Olivia Krehbiel. In the home half, Brooke Diaz smashed a double to left field. One batter later, Alexis Gilio singled to right field to move Diaz to third and put runners on the corners. Despite runners on the corner and one out, the Bears were able to keep LA Tech off the board and escaped the inning by turning a double play.
 
Mattison Buster relieved Lauren Menzina to in the fourth inning. Menzina went three innings and allowed three hits and one walk during her first start of the season.
 
In the top of the fourth, Chloe Merced added another run for Missouri State on a solo shot over the left field wall to give the Bears a 2-0 lead. Buster would strike out the three other MSU batters in the inning.
 
The Bulldogs answered with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Aubree Seaney led off with a walk, and Kaylee Grealy walked with one out to put runners on first and second. Rogers then singled through the right side to score Seaney, cutting the MO State lead to 2-1.
 
Allie Floyd came in to pitch the fifth inning and retired the Bears in order. Swick would do the same in the bottom half. 
 
Rogers singled up the middle in the bottom of the sixth and was the only baserunner of the inning.
 
In the seventh, Floyd worked another 1-2-3 inning courtesy of a foul out and back-to-back strikeouts. Brooke Diaz led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk. Olivia Ellingson entered the game to pinch run for Diaz. A sacrifice bunt from Claire Raley moved Ellingson to second with one out. With two outs in the inning, Ellingson took third on a wild pitch to put the tying run 60 feet away. Caroline Easom then delivered with a single to left field that brought home Ellingson and tied the game at 2-2.
 
Johnston relieved Swick with one out in the bottom of the seventh. 
 
The top of the eight was highlighted by Diaz throwing out a runner trying to take second to end the inning. Kaylee Grealy led off the bottom of the eighth with a leadoff double to left-center. Rogers would then move her to third with a sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning, but Tech could not break through as a strikeout and a foul out moved the game to the ninth.
 
In the bottom of the ninth, the Bulldogs threatened to end it. Gilio and Easom singled with one out, and Seaney was intentionally walked to load the bases. The Bears escaped, however, with a popup and a strikeout for the second and third outs of the inning.
 
In the 10th, Rogers was the only baserunner for either team as she reached base for the fourth time in the game with a leadoff walk.
 
Missouri State stranded a runner in the top of the 11th at third base as Floyd escaped the inning with the 2-2 tie intact. Jina Baffuto made an impressive 6-5 putout by fielding a ground ball in the hole and throwing to third for the first out of the inning.
 
The Bulldogs finally broke through in the 11th. Gilio doubled to right-center to lead off the inning before Easom smashed a single off the outstretched glove of MSU second baseman Kelsie Lewis, scoring Gilio from second and giving LA Tech the 3-2 win.

GAME ONE
Melnychuk and Chacon breezed through the first. A leadoff single by the Bears' Abby Ford was the only hit of the inning.
 
In the second, both sides were retired in order.

Melnychuk made it nine straight Bears retired with a 1-2-3 third inning. In the bottom half, Alannah Rogers drew a two-out walk to become Bulldogs' first baserunner of the game. Claire Raley would then leg out a bunt single to the pitcher, and Rogers took third on the play as Missouri State left the base unattended. Rogers would not advance any farther as Raley was thrown out trying to steal second to end the inning.
 
Missouri State broke out for four runs in the top of the fourth. Krehbiel doubled to the right-center field gap to lead off the inning and would later come around to score on a throwing error with one out. Ellie McCoy scored the Bears' second run on a passed ball, and a Chloe Merced sacrifice fly brought home the third run to make it 3-0 Missouri State.
 
The Bulldogs answered with a run in the bottom half. Gilio led off the inning with a bunt single and advanced to second on a one-out single by Seaney. Easom drove home Gilio with an RBI single up the middle to make it 3-1.
 
Both teams put multiple runners on base in the fifth but had nothing to show for it. Rogers walked, and Gilio singled in the Bulldogs' trip to the plate during the bottom of the inning.
 
Emma Hutchinson relieved Melnychuk to pitch the sixth and seventh innings.
 
A Kelsie Lewis double into the gap in left-center plated another run for the Bears in the sixth. Easom would single in the bottom of the sixth, but that was all Tech could muster.
 
MSU extended the lead to 7-1 by plating three runs on three hits and two walks in the top of the seventh.
 
Louisiana Tech did not go down quietly in the bottom of the seventh. Kaylee Grealy had a pinch-hit single up the middle to lead off the home half but would later be out at second on a fielder's choice that Rogers reached on. Raley legged out an infield single to the shortstop in the next at-bat. Gilio followed with a single to center field that scored Rogers and advanced Raley to third. Karli Sellers then sent a single through the left side, which brought home Raley and made it 7-3. Gracie Johnston entered the game with one out in the inning. A two-out double from Seaney would drive home two, cutting the MO State lead to 7-5, which would be the final as the Johnston struckout the next batter to end the ballgame.

NEXT UP
The Bulldogs will conclude their series with Missouri State tomorrow at 11 a.m.
 
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