RUSTON, La. – Alexis Gilio's walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning lifted the Louisiana Tech Softball team to a 2-1 victory over Northwestern State on Tuesday night at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
 
With the game tied at 1-1 in the bottom of the seventh, Katelin Cooper battled back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk, which kicked-started a two-out rally. Alannah Rogers followed with an infield single, and Claire Raley walked to load the bases for Gilio, who gave LA Tech a walk-off win with an RBI infield single up the middle that Northwestern State second baseman Taylor Williams fielded but did not have a chance to make a throw as all three runners advanced.
 
Rogers led the Bulldogs with two hits in the contest and a run scored. Gilio went 1-2 with an RBI and two walks and Raley had an RBI single in the first inning that scored Rogers. Aubree Seaney also drew two walks in the victory, and Kylie Neel walked in addition to Raley and Cooper.
 
The Bulldogs used a variety of pitchers in the victory. Brook Melnychuk started the game and pitched two scoreless innings before Mattison Buster (2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB), Lauren Menzina (1 IP, 0 H, 0 R), and Allie Floyd (2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 K) followed in relief. Floyd earned the win to improve to 7-1 on the season.
 
Kenzie Seely (1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 2 BB) took the loss for Northwestern State to fall to 5-8 on the season.
 
With the win, the Bulldogs (17-4) are off to their best start since 1990, when they started 17-4 through the first 21 games.

NOTABLES
- Alexis Gilio extended her reached-base streak to eight games with two walks and a single.
- Gilio's walk-off single was the third walk-off hit for LA Tech this season. Caroline Easom (1B vs. Missouri State) and Katelin Cooper (HR vs. Sam Houston) did it prior on Feb. 24 and March 8, respectively).
- Alannah Rogers collected her sixth career multi-hit game.
- The Bulldogs are 4-3 in games in which they have been out-hit by an opponent this season. It also marked the 111^th time this millennium in which the Bulldogs won a game in which they were out-hit by their opponent.
- The Bulldogs are 16-9 all-time in games played on March 12.
- The Bulldogs are 88-48 under head coach Josh Taylor who owns a career head coaching record of 321-216.
- Allie Floyd earned her seventh win of the season. She is just a win shy of her 2023 total of eight.
- LA Tech is off to its best start since 1990 when LA Tech also started 17-4.
- Louisiana Tech has now won 1,291 games all time, including 525 in Ruston.
- The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with Northwestern State 62-51.

QUOTABLES
On the game…
"Our pitching and defense was there. We made one error but it is going to happen from time-to-time. Our pitching and defense have been there every night and that is going to continue. I was not pleased with our offense at all. Our first two hitters of the game get hits and then we don't get anything until the seventh inning. That is unacceptable. We have to have better quality at-bats 1-9 each and every time. We have to quit giving at-bats away. We got into plus counts tonight and got jammed or swung at first pitch change-ups when the batter in front walked. We have to have a better plan and approach and we are going to work on it in practice." - head coach Josh Taylor.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Brook Melnychuk made her eighth start of the season for Louisiana Tech, while the Lady Demons went with senior right-hander Maggie Darr for the 12th time.
 
The Demons' Bailie Ragsdale led off the game with a single to left. Melnychuk then settled in by retiring the next three batters, courtesy of a flyout, groundout and strikeout.
 
The Bulldogs wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first. Alannah Rogers led off the home half with a single to right field and swiftly advanced to second base on a passed ball. Claire Raley followed with a single up the middle, and LA Tech had a 1-0 lead after just two batters.
 
Northwestern State threatened in the top of the second, loading the bases with two walks and a single but Melnychuk would escape the jam unscathed by issuing a popout and strikeout. Darr sent the Dogs down in order in the bottom half.
 
Mattison Buster relieved Melnychuk after two innings.
 
The Demons tied the game in the third on an RBI double from Tristin Court, bringing the score to 1-1. With a runner on third and two outs in the inning, shortstop, Nicole Hammoude made a phenomenal running grab along the left-field line to take a hit away from the Demons while denying the leading run from scoring.
 
Darr made it nine-straight Tech batters retired with a 1-2-3 third. It would be her last inning of the day as she would be relieved by Ryleigh Denton who would throw two hitless innings.
 
Hammoude's defensive clinic continued in the fourth. She made a 6-3 putout on a ground ball deep in the hole for the first out of the inning and turned an inning-ending 6-3 double play two batters later.
 
Aubree Seaney reached base on a walk with one out in the fourth. Olivia Ellingson pinch-ran for Seaney and advanced to second on a groundout by Hammoude. Neel then walked, and both advanced on a wild pitch, but the Demons would escape the inning with a strikeout.
 
Both sides were set down sequentially in the fifth inning as Menzina threw the fifth inning in relief of Buster.
 
Floyd entered the circle in the sixth and would stay there for the remainder of the game. She spun a scoreless sixth inning, with the only blemish being that a Demon reached courtesy of a throwing error. Alexis Gilio led off the bottom of the sixth with her second walk of the game but Tech could not capitalize as she was stranded on third to end the inning.
 
Floyd only threw eight pitches in the seventh and retired the visitors in order by way of two flyouts and a lineout.
 
After two quick flyouts in the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs got to work. Katelin Cooper battled back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk. Rogers followed with an infield single before both advanced on a wild pitch. Tech then loaded the bases with a Raley walk to set the stage for the Dogs' third walk-off win of the season. With arguably the Bulldogs' three fastest players on base, Alexis Gilio stepped to the plate and worked a count full before hitting a ground ball up the middle that Northwestern State second baseman Taylor Williams fielded behind second base but not in time to make a throw as Cooper scored from third and Rogers and Raley both advanced on Gilio's walk-off RBI single.

NEXT UP
The Bulldogs resume their Conference USA slate this weekend with a three-game series at Middle Tennessee. 
 
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