LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Louisiana Tech Softball team dropped its series opener at Liberty, 2-0, on Thursday night at the Liberty Softball Stadium.
 
Liberty (18-14, 8-2 CUSA) pitcher Kaylan Yoder kept the Bulldogs off the bases for most of the night. The freshman allowed one hit and struck out seven while going the distance.
 
Claire Raley's first-inning single was the Bulldogs' lone hit of the contest. Kylie Neel reached on a fifth-inning walk, and Caroline Easom reached in the fifth courtesy of an error.
 
Allie Floyd was impressive in her 10th career complete game for Louisiana Tech. The sophomore struck out one, allowing just five hits and two runs in six innings.

NOTABLES
- Kylie Neel drew a fifth-inning walk to increase her reached-base streak to five games.
- Claire Raley recorded her 32^nd hit of the season with a first inning single.
- LA Tech is now 12-6 all-time on March 28.
- The Bulldogs are 94-51 under head coach Josh Taylor who owns a career head coaching record of 327-219.

QUOTABLES
On the game…
"The offense needs to be much better, period. You won't win too many games when your lone hit is a bunt single in the first inning. We will need to be much better tomorrow." - head coach Josh Taylor.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bulldogs' Allie Floyd made her 10th start of the season while Liberty started freshman Kaylan Yoder.
 
With one out in the first inning, Claire Raley reached on a bunt single for the game's first hit.
 
Rachel Roupe led off the bottom of the first with a leadoff walk. Floyd would retire the next three courtesy of two flyouts to Katelin Cooper in left field and a comebacker.
 
Yoder retired the Bulldogs in order with a 1-2-3 second inning. In the bottom of the second, Megan Fortner hit a bloop single down the right field line and would later come around to score on a single by KK Madrey. Madrey then stole second. The Flames extended their lead to 2-0 on a sacrifice bunt from Byrum that scored Madrey from second.
 
Kylie Neel just missed putting the Bulldogs on the board, hitting a long fly a foot right of the foul pole in the third inning. Instead, Yoder made it seven straight retired to keep Tech off the board.
 
Floyd issued three consecutive groundouts in the bottom of the third to retire the side.
 
The Bulldogs could not make anything happen in the top of the fourth as Yoder used a flyout, strikeout and groundout to get through the frame. Floyd issued a flyout to Rogers in right to start the bottom of the inning. Megan Fortner singled to left-center field with one out. Cooper showed some nice defense on the hit to limit Fortner to a single. Floyd got Madrey to strike out swinging for her first strikeout of the day and second out of the inning before getting Brooke Roberts to ground out to second for the final out of the frame.
 
Caroline Easom reached on an error by the Liberty first baseman to lead off the fifth inning. Kylie Neel walked with two outs in the inning. Yoder would escape with a popup to shortstop as Tech was kept off the scoreboard.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Floyd handled the Flames for the third-straight inning. Rachel Roupe doubled into right-center field with two outs, but that was all Liberty would get.
 
Both sides were kept off the board in the sixth.
 
Yoder retired the Bulldogs (23-7, 7-3 CUSA) in order to wrap up the complete-game shutout.

NEXT UP
The Bulldogs will look to get back in the win column tomorrow against Liberty at 3 p.m.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
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