LYNCHBURG, Va. – The Louisiana Tech Softball team lost its series finale at Liberty, 2-0, on Saturday afternoon at the Liberty Softball Stadium.
The Bulldogs' offensive woes continued at the plate as the Flames' Kaylan Yoder threw her second complete-game shutout of the weekend. Yoder allowed just two hits and one walk while striking out eight.
Kylie Neel doubled, and
Nicole Hammoude singled to account for the Bulldogs' hits in the contest, while Katelin Cooper drew a walk.
Louisiana Tech had a solid day in the circle.
Brook Melnychuk started the contest and allowed one run on three hits while striking out one in her two innings.
Allie Floyd took it the rest of the way, striking out two and allowing one run on two hits in four innings.
NOTABLES
- Katelin Cooper drew her team-leading 22
nd walk of the season in the top of the third inning. Cooper is the first Bulldog to record 20+ walks in three consecutive seasons since Morgan Turkoly accomplished the feat from 2017-19.
- LA Tech is now 12-9 all-time on March 30.
- The Bulldogs are 94-53 under head coach
Josh Taylor who owns a career head coaching record of 327-210.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Louisiana Tech started
Brook Melnychuk for the 13th time this season while Liberty went back to its Thursday night starter in Kaylan Yoder.
Both sides were kept off the board and out of the hit column in the first. Liberty's Sierra Kersten was the one baserunner, courtesy of a two-out walk.
Nicole Hammoude recorded the game's first hit by singling into left-center field with two outs in the top of the second inning. KK Madrey led off the home half with a leadoff bunt single. Brooke Roberts followed with a line drive down the left field line. Both runners advanced a base on a sacrifice bunt by Savannah Jesse. A Rachel Craine bloop single to shallow left field gave the Flames a 1-0 lead. Melnychuk issued a lineout to Hammoude at shortstop for the second out of the inning before getting a groundout to Hammoude to end the inning.
In the third inning, Katelin Cooper drew a one-out walk, which was all the Bulldogs could muster. The walk was Cooper's team-leading 22nd of the season.
Allie Floyd relieved Melnychuk in the bottom of the third and spun a scoreless frame that featured a strikeout and an inning-ending 3-5-4-5-4-2 rundown to catch the Flames' Megan Fortner trying to go first-to-third on a bunt single by Madrey.
Yoder continued her stellar pitching performance with a 1-2-3 fourth inning. Floyd answered with a 1-2-3 inning and picked up her second strikeout of the day in the bottom half.
In the fifth inning, Yoder made it seven straight Bulldogs retired by sitting Tech down in order. Floyd answered with her second-straight 1-2-3 inning in the bottom half.
The Bulldogs' woes at the plate continued in the sixth. Liberty added a run in the bottom of the sixth. Kersten led off the inning by hitting a high fly ball that dropped in center field. Kerstens fly ball was questionably scored a double instead of an error. Kersten would later come around to score on a sacrifice fly by Madrey to make it the final 2-0.
Kylie Neel doubled down the right field line with one out in the seventh but Yoder kept the Dogs off the board to wrap up her second complete game shutout of the weekend.
NEXT UP
The Bulldogs will be back in action next weekend when they travel to Auburn, Ala. to face Auburn and Georgia Tech.
For all the latest in Bulldog Softball, follow them on Twitter (@LATechSB), Instagram (@LATechSB) and Facebook (Louisiana Tech Softball) or visit the official website at LATechSports.com.
