RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech Softball team earned a series victory by throttling WKU 10-4 in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.

The 10-run outburst was arguably the Bulldogs' best offensive performance this season. Tech registered 10 hits as six different Bulldogs (22-6, 7-2 CUSA) recorded hits and five Bulldogs drove in runs in the win. In addition to the 10-hit performance, LA Tech manufactured productive outs and struck out once in 36 trips to the plate.

Claire Raley led the way with a 3-4 effort at the plate and two runs scored, while Nicole Hammoude drove in four runs in the victory, three of which came courtesy of a tape-measure three-run home run in the third inning that gave Tech a lead it did not surrender. Brooke Diaz went 2-3 with two doubles and an RBI, and Caroline Easom had a 2-3 day with an RBI, run scored, and walk. Aubree Seaney drove in three runs with a sacrifice fly and a two-run double in the bottom of the sixth. Kylie Neel also collected a hit and an RBI in the contest.

Allie Floyd picked up her 11th win of the season by tossing four innings of relief. The right-hander allowed just one run on four hits while striking out one. She is now 11-1 on the year. Brook Melnychuk (3 K, 5 H, 3 R) made her second start in as many games and went three innings to set the table for Floyd.

Katie Gardner (2.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 3 BB, 1 K) took the loss for WKU to fall 7-6. The Hilltoppers' (20-10-1, 6-3 CUSA) 10 earned runs allowed were the most in a single game this season. and the most since Feb. 19, 2023.
 
The Bulldogs are 7-2 in Conference USA play and currently tied in first with Liberty after the Flames were defeated by Sam Houston today, 8-5 in nine innings. LA Tech has won its first three conference series for the first time since 2010 when the Bulldogs were a member of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC).
 
NOTABLES
- Claire Raley had her second-consecutive three-hit game which was the fourth three-hit game of her career. Raley became the third Bulldog to post three hits in back-to-back games this season after Caroline Easom and Alexis Gilio accomplished the feat against Missouri State in a doubleheader on Feb. 24. The three-hit performance was her 23rd career multi-hit game.
- Alexis Gilio tied a career high with two walks in the victory. She previously recorded two walks in a 5-2 win at ULM.
- Caroline Easom registered her 36th multi-hit game and Brooke Diaz had her 23rd career hit game with a season-high two doubles.
- Katelin Cooper extended her reached-base streak to nine games after drawing a walk in the sixth inning.
- Aubree Seaney registered her 11th career multi-RBI game while Nicole Hammoude recorded her fourth.
- Nicole Hammoude hit her second home run of the season and the fourth of her career with a three-run blast in the bottom of the third inning.
- Allie Floyd earned her 11^th win of the season.
- The Bulldogs have recorded double digit hits in 10 games this season after doing it only eight times a year ago.
- LA Tech is 16-1 this season when out-hitting an opponent.
- The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with WKU 12-8.
- LA Tech is now 15-9 all-time on March 24.
- The Bulldogs are 93-50 under head coach Josh Taylor who owns a career head coaching record of 326-218.
- The win was the 1,296^th in program history.
- LA Tech is 21-4 this season in games started by a right-handed pitcher.
- Since 2000, Louisiana Tech has a 243-121 record when hitting at least one home run. The Bulldogs are 10-1 when homering this season.

QUOTABLES
On the game…
"I thought Brook Melnychuk gave us a really good start for what we wanted out of her today. Her stuff was much better which was good to see. Allie (Floyd) came in and did what Allie does. She was able to shut it down. Our offense was really good today. We answered every time they scored. We were able to score in the bottom half of the inning and get the separation in the sixth which was huge and took the pressure off the seventh. Our hitters did a really good job of settling into the game today and finding a way to good hits and find the barrel quicker than we had in the previous two." - head coach Josh Taylor

On Nicole Hammoude's three-run home run…
"That was a huge momentum swing and we kept that momentum the rest of the game. She got her barrel out and hit the ball a long way. The three-run homer to take the lead was huge for us to allow us to get some confidence and energy which we were able to sustain for the rest of the game." - head coach Josh Taylor
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Brook Melnychuk started the series finale for LA Tech, while WKU went with Katie Gardner.
 
The Hilltoppers took the lead with two outs in the first when Taylor Sanders drove the first pitch she saw over the left-center field wall for a solo home run. The big fly was her 11th of the season.
 
Alannah Rogers led off the bottom of the first with a walk and then advanced to second on a bunt single by Claire Raley. Following a strikeout, Caroline Easom singled through the right side to load the bases. Aubree Seaney tied the game at 1-1 with a sacrifice fly to right-center field that brought home Rogers.
 
Brylee Hage singled up the middle to lead off the top of the second. Diaz would throw Hage out at second on a steal attempt. Melnychuk retired the next two with a pair of flyouts. Diaz doubled into left-center field with one out in the home half but that was all the Dogs would get.
 
With two outs in the top of the third, TJ Webster singled to left field and reached second on the play courtesy of a throwing error. Sanders walked with two outs in the frame to put runners on first and second for Cheyanne Sales, who doubled to left-center field and gave WKU a 3-1 lead.
 
In the bottom of the third, Alexis Gilio drew a one-out walk. Aubree Seaney walked with two outs to put runners on first and second. Nicole Hammoude then hit a towering three-run home run to left field, which gave the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead. Following Hammoude's three-run blast, WKU pulled Gardner and called upon Rylan Smith in relief.
 
Floyd relieved Melnychuk in the fourth and spun a scoreless frame, with the only blemish being a one-out walk. The Bulldogs got to work with two outs in the home half. Raley doubled off the right field wall, and Gilio followed with her second walk of the day. Easom then sent a 1-2 pitch into center field for an RBI single to increase the LA Tech lead to 5-3. Smith was pulled after the fourth inning for Maddy Wood.
 
The Hilltoppers responded with a run in the top of the fifth, courtesy of an RBI double from Annie White. In the bottom of the fifth, the Bulldogs answered with a run of their own on an RBI double from Brooke Diaz. Kylie Neel scored on Diaz's second double of the day after reaching with on an opposite-field single.
 
Floyd tossed a scoreless top of the sixth inning.
 
Raley led off the bottom of the inning by singling to second base for her third hit of the day. Gilio reached on a fielder's choice that Raley beat the throw to second on to put two runners on with no outs. Easom then drew a walk to load the bases. Seaney doubled down the left field line to plate Raley and Gilio and increase the Bulldogs lead to 8-4. Nicole Hammoude followed with a groundout to shortstop to add another run before Neel brought home the 10th and final run with a groundout to third. Brooke Diaz and Katelin Cooper walked to put runners on first and second with a chance to run-rule, but the Hilltoppers' Keslie Houchens got an inning-ending flyout to stop the bleeding.
 
Webster led off the top of the seventh with a single before back-to-back two-out singles by Hage and White loaded the bases. Floyd was unfazed, however, as she struck out Randi Drinnon for the final out of the ballgame.

NEXT UP
The Bulldogs will host Grambling State at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. non-conference tilt. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+.
 
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