JACKSONVILLE, Ala. – The Louisiana Tech Softball team defeated Jacksonville State 4-2 on Saturday afternoon at Jana McGinnis Field to even its three-game Conference USA series.
A pivotal moment unfolded with the Bulldogs leading 4-2 in the bottom of the seventh inning. With a runner on first and no outs,
Alexis Gilio robbed the Gamecocks' Makalyn Kyser of a would-be game-tying two-run home run by making an incredible leaping grab against the left-center field wall.
Nicole Hammoude sealed the victory a batter later by turning a game-ending 6-3 double play as Tech improved to 25-12 overall and 8-6 in Conference USA play.
Kylie Neel's three-run home run in the top of the fifth inning provided the bulk of the scoring for the Bulldogs. Neel's round-tripper was her third of the season. The graduate senior led LA Tech at the plate by going 2-4 with two runs scored and three RBI.
Caroline Easom drove in the Bulldogs' first run of the contest with a fourth-inning RBI single.
Louisiana Tech was impressive in the circle during the win.
Brook Melnychuk earned the victory to improve to 8-6 this season. The Hudson Bay, Saskatchewan, Canada product allowed just one run on a hit and a walk in 2.1 innings of relief.
Allie Floyd earned her fifth save by throwing the final 2.2 innings of the victory, allowing just one hit and striking out one.
Mattison Buster was effective in her sixth start of the season, allowing one run on two hits during her two innings of work.
Sarah Currie (5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K) took the loss for the Gamecocks (18-22, 7-7 CUSA) to fall to 2-4 on the season.
NOTABLES
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Caroline Easom singled in the fourth inning to run her hitting streak to a team-best five games.
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Kylie Neel hit her third home run of the season with a three-run shot in the top of the fifth inning. Neel also singled in the seventh inning to record her 32
nd career multi-hit game. She also recorded her sixth career three-RBI game.
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Josh Taylor has been successful in his last two challenges. He challenged
Claire Raley's bunt single which got overturned to safe against Jax State and he successfully challenged a runner leaving early at Auburn.
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Allie Floyd registered her fifth save of the season and ninth of her career. Floyd's five saves this season are tied with Preslee Gallaway for the second-most in program history. Pauline Tufi holds the single-season saves record of 6 which she set in 2015.
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Alannah Rogers increased her hitting streak to four-games with an opposite-field double.
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Brook Melnychuk earned her eighth win of the season and 14
th win as a Bulldog.
- LA Tech is 16-8 in day games this season and 563-549 in day games this millennium.
- The Bulldogs are now 14-1 when hitting a home run and 19-2 when out-hitting opponents in 2024.
- The Bulldogs are 96-56 under head coach
Josh Taylor who owns a career head coaching record of 329-224.
- The win was the 12
th in program history on April 13.
QUOTABLES
On the victory…
"We fought today. We made productive outs and had a big three-run home run from
Kylie Neel. The team decided to fight today.
Alexis Gilio's catch in the bottom of the seventh was a game changer. Up by two with no outs in the inning it definitely changed the rest of the inning and allowed Allie (Floyd) to get back to work." - head coach
Josh Taylor
HOW IT HAPPENED
Mattison Buster made her sixth start in the circle for the Bulldogs, while the Gamecocks went with Sarah Currie.
With two outs in the first,
Alexis Gilio reached on an infield single to shortstop before stealing second for her 10th stolen base of the season. Currie would escape the inning with a strikeout one batter later as Gilio was stranded.
Jax State struck first on a solo home run by Emma Jones-Hubbard with one out in the first to take the early 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs were retired in order in the top of the second. Kenzie Nicholson singled through the left side to lead off the home half. Buster issued a pair of groundouts to Easom at second and a flyout to Gilio in center field to complete the scoreless inning.
Alannah Rogers drove a 2-2 pitch on the outside portion of the plate to left-center field for a two-out double in the top of the third.
Melynchuk relieved Buster in the bottom of the third by spinning a 1-2-3 inning.
Kylie Neel reached and took second on a throwing error by the Gamecocks' second baseman with one out in the inning. Neel moved to third on an infield single by
Nicole Hammoude before scoring on a ground ball single by
Caroline Easom, which tied the game at 1-1.
In the bottom of the fourth, Melnychuk recorded her second consecutive scoreless inning, with the only blemish being Megan Rasmussen's one-out walk.
Katelin Cooper led off the fifth inning with her team-leading 26th walk of the season. Rogers moved Cooper to second with a sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning.
Claire Raley then reached on a bunt single, which moved Rogers to third before stealing second. With two outs,
Kylie Neel gave the Bulldogs the lead courtesy of a three-run home run to left-center field to make it 4-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, a leadoff walk and a one-out double made it a 4-2 game.
Allie Floyd relieved Melnychuk following the double. Floyd struck out Ashley Phillips by getting her to chase a 3-2 fastball up out of the zone for out No. 2 before issuing a groundout as the Gamecocks stranded a runner on third to end the inning.
Jax State substituted Mackinley Portillo to pitch the sixth.
Brooke Diaz smacked a two-out double down the left field line and was pinch-ran for by
Olivia Ellingson. Cooper drew a two-out walk to put runners on first and second. Portillo and Jax State would escape however with an inning-ending strikeout.
Floyd faced the heart of the Gamecocks' order in the sixth inning. She got Lindsey Richardson to ground out to Raley for the first out of the frame. Rasmussen reached on an error to put the tying run at the plate with one out in the inning, but the error would be harmless as Floyd issued consecutive groundouts to conclude a scoreless inning.
In the top of the seventh, Neel singled, and Hammoude reached on an error, but that was all the Bulldogs would muster.
Linley Tubbs lead off the bottom of the seventh with a single past a diving Easom.
Alexis Gilio saved the day by taking away a would-be game-tying two-run home run from Madisyn Kyser with a leaping grab against the wall in left-center field. Hammoude wrapped up the victory by turning a game-ending 6-3 double play as the Bulldogs evened the series.
NEXT UP
The Bulldogs will look to take the series against Jax State in the finale at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
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