RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech Softball team split its doubleheader against WKU by winning game one 5-3 and dropping game two 6-5 on Saturday afternoon at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
 
A four-run fourth inning and a fifth-inning solo home run from Kylie Neel provided the scoring in a 5-3 series-opening win. Neel (2-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R) and Alexis Gilio (2-2, 1 R) led the Bulldogs offensively in the victory. Claire Raley, Caroline Easom, and Nicole Hammoude also registered hits with Easom and Hammoude collecting an RBI. Aubree Seaney and Brooke Diaz drove in runs with sacrifice flies.
 
Allie Floyd improved to 10-1 with a complete game performance by striking out four and allowing just four hits and two earned runs in her seven innings.
 
The Bulldogs raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game two, but WKU responded with a five-run second inning to take the lead for good. The Bulldogs rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh and had the winning run on first base with one out while trailing 6-5 before rolling into a game-ending double play. The Bulldogs struggled to make productive outs and capitalize with runners in scoring position in the loss as they stranded 10 baserunners. 
 
Gilio (3-4, 2 R) and Claire Raley (3-4, 1 R) each recorded three hits in the loss. Easom also had multiple hits with a single, a double, and an RBI. Kylie Neel drove in two runs with a double, and Alannah Rogers recorded a bunt single. Seaney and Hamoude each drove in a run as well.
 
NOTABLES
- Claire Raley and Alexis Gilio both had three hit performances in game two, tying single game career highs. It was Raley's third career three-hit game and Gilio's eighth.
- Alexis Gilio now has 19 multi-hit games with multiple hits in both contests.
- Katelin Cooper extended her reached-base streak to eight games after being hit by a pitch in game one of the doubleheader and walking in the nightcap.
- Kylie Neel hit her second home run of the season and 11^th of her career with a solo shot in the sixth inning of game one. Neel would record her 30^th multi-hit game with two hits in the game one victory.
- Caroline Easom collected to hits in game one to register her 35th career multi-hit game.
- Allie Floyd earned her 10^th win of the season with by throwing her ninth career complete game in the 5-3 win in game one. With the win, she became the first sophomore to register 10+ victories in a season since Krystal De La Cruz (13) and Preslee Gallaway (16) accomplished the feat in 2017.
- The Bulldogs have recorded double digit hits in nine games this season after doing it only eight times a year ago.
- The Bulldogs are now 669-400 all time in doubleheaders
- LA Tech is now 16-16-1 all-time on March 23.
- The Bulldogs are 92-50 under head coach Josh Taylor who owns a career head coaching record of 325-218.
- The win in the series opener was the 1,295^th in program history.
- LA Tech is 20-4 this season in games started by a right-handed pitcher.
- Since 2000, Louisiana Tech has a 242-121 record when hitting at least one home run.

QUOTABLES
On the day…
"We pitched well in the first game. Allie (Floyd) came out with seven strong innings and allowed our offense to settle in. We had an explosive inning in the fourth and she dominates from there and we win the game. In game two we had opportunities all over the ballpark. We had second and third and nobody out in two innings and could not get it done. The five-spot we gave up in the second, we had opportunities to get outs and limit the damage but we could not stay away from the crooked number. If you do not stay away from crooked numbers you are going to have a hard time winning games and that was the case today." - head coach Josh Taylor
 
GAME ONE
Allie Floyd made her ninth start of the season for LA Tech, while the Hilltoppers went with Katie Gardner, who entered the day with a 1.67 ERA.
 
Floyd got leadoff batter Brylee Hage to line out to Claire Raley at third for the first out of the game. TJ Webster walked in the next at-bat to become the first baserunner of the contest. Floyd struck out WKU slugger Taylor Sanders for the second out of the inning before getting Morgan Sharpe to fly out to left field to complete the scoreless frame.
 
Alexis Gilio drew her 10th walk of the season with two outs in the home half.
 
In the second inning, Floyd faced the minimum while striking out two Hilltoppers. Gardener answered with a 1-2-3 inning that featured two strikeouts in the bottom of the second.
 
The duel continued into the third as Floyd collected another 1-2-3 inning in the top half. Katelin Cooper was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the third, extending her reached-base streak to seven games.
 
Webster singled through the left side in the fourth to start the inning. Aubree Seaney made a diving catch on Sanders' failed bunt attempt for the first out of the inning. Morgan Sharpe singled to second base to put runners on first and second before a walk loaded the bases. WKU took a 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly from Annie White.
 
Claire Raley and Gilio laid down back-to-back bunt singles to start the bottom of the fourth. Caroline Easom then tied the game with a single through the left side. The Bulldogs took the lead on an Aubree Seaney sacrifice fly. A Nicole Hammoude RBI double and a Brooke Diaz sacrifice fly increased the LA Tech lead to 4-1.
 
WKU added a run back on a groundout by Hage in the top of the fifth. In the home half, Raley walked with one out, and Gilio followed with a single to left field for her second hit of the day.
 
The Hilltoppers' Cheyanne Sales homered to left field in the top of the sixth, cutting the Bulldogs' lead to 4-3.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the sixth, Kylie Neel increased the LA Tech lead to 5-3 with a solo home run to right field, her second of the year. Diaz and Katelin Cooper followed with walks, but WKU got out of the frame with minimal damage.
 
Allie Floyd closed out the complete game effort with a 1-2-3 seventh inning to improve to 10-1 on the season. Gardner took the loss for the Hilltoppers to fall to 7-5.

GAME TWO
Brook Melnychuk started for the Bulldogs in the nightcap as WKU went with freshman Rylan Smith.
 
Melnychuk got Hage to ground out to Raley at third to start the ballgame. Webster was the first baserunner for the second consecutive game, courtesy of a bunt single. Melnychuk would settle in and retire the next two Hilltoppers with a popout and strikeout to end the inning.
 
In the bottom of the first, Claire Raley increased her hitting streak to four games with a one-out single to left-center field. Gilio followed with a single to left field to put runners on the corners with one out. Easom gave Tech the early lead with single through the right side. Aubree Seaney then brought home Gilio with an RBI fielder's choice to extend the Bulldogs' lead to 2-0.

WKU answered back with five runs in the top of the second on six hits and a walk. Lauren Menzina relieved Melnychuk with one out in the inning. Smith retired the Bulldogs in order in the home half.
 
In the third, Mattison Buster entered the circle in place of Menzina and threw a scoreless inning. Raley and Gilio registered back-to-back singles to lead off the bottom of the third. The Bulldogs would not capitalize, however, as Smith retired the next three after a failed sacrifice bunt attempt, a strikeout, and a flyout.
 
Buster threw another scoreless frame in the fourth while picking up her first strikeout. Smith made it three consecutive innings with a 1-2-3 bottom of the fourth.
 
Buster retired the Hilltoppers in order in the fifth inning. Alannah Rogers led off the bottom half with a bunt single. Raley followed with a single to left for her third hit of the day. Unfortunately, Smith escaped for the second time in the game by retiring the next three batters.
 
In the sixth inning, Buster made it nine-straight Hilltoppers retired with a 1-2-3 inning. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Neel battled back from an 0-2 count to draw a walk. Cooper and Rogers followed with two-out walks to load the bases, but Smith got an inning-ending strikeout as Tech stranded the bases loaded.
 
Taylor Sanders led off the seventh with a triple into right-center field and later scored on a single by Sales to make it 6-2 Hilltoppers.
 
Gilio singled up the middle to lead off the bottom of the seventh. Easom then doubled to left field to put runners on second and third with no outs. Aubree Seaney was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Tech made it 6-3 courtesy of a sacrifice fly to left field by Hammoude. One batter later, Neel smashed a double down the right field line, making it a 6-5 ballgame. WKU pitcher Mady Wood entered the game in relief of Smith after the two-run double from Neel. Brooke Diaz got hit by a pitch to put the winning run on first with only one out. Wood then issued a game-ending double play to kill the Tech rally and knot up the series at one game apiece.
 
Brook Melnychuk (7-4) took the loss for the Bulldogs while Rylan Smith (8-3) earned the win and Maddy Wood garnered her first save of the season for the Hilltoppers.

NEXT UP
The Bulldogs will take on WKU in the rubber match at Noon tomorrow.
 
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