AUBURN, Ala. – The Louisiana Tech Softball team fell to Auburn, 9-1 (5 inn.) in the opening game of the War Eagle Classic at Jane B. Moore Field on Friday afternoon.
 
The Bulldogs' offensive woes continued as Tech mustered one run on four hits in addition to committing three errors defensively. Claire Raley put LA Tech on the scoreboard with a two-out RBI single in the top of the fifth. Brooke Diaz, Caroline Easom and Alexis Gilio also singled. Katelin Cooper walked and Gentry Spinks was hit by a pitch.
 
Allie Floyd (11-3) took the loss for the Bulldogs (23-10). The sophomore allowed three runs (two unearned) on three hits and a strikeout. Mattison Buster (2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 K) pitched two scoreless innings in relief of Floyd.
 
Shelby Lowe earned the win for Auburn (18-11-1), improving to 5-3 on the season. The senior left-hander struck out six while allowing one run on four hits.

NOTABLES
- Katelin Cooper drew her team-leading 23^rd 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 11-7 all-time on April 5.
- Auburn now leads the all-time series with LA Tech 6-3.
- The Bulldogs are 94-54 under head coach Josh Taylor who owns a career head coaching record of 327-211.

QUOTABLES 
"We have to be more competitive in all facets of the game. We have to have more production offensively and clean things up defensively. Tomorrow is a new day and we are looking forward to it."- head coach Josh Taylor
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
Allie Floyd made her 11th start of the season for Louisiana Tech, while Auburn started left-hander Shelby Lowe.
 
Alexis Gilio legged out an infield single on a ground ball to Lowe with two outs in the top of the first for the game's first hit. One batter later, Kylie Neel crushed a line drive but right at Auburn shortstop Nelia Peralta to end the inning.
 
In the bottom half, Anna Wohlers reached on an error to lead off the inning and advanced on a single by KK McCrary. Both runners advanced on a sacrifice bunt before Wohlers scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Peralta to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Auburn increased its lead to 2-0 on a wild pitch that scored McCrary.
 
In the second inning, Lowe retired the Bulldogs in order. In the bottom half, the Tigers added another run on a two-out RBI single from Annabelle Windra.
 
Katelin Cooper drew a one-out walk in the top of the third inning, but that was all the Dogs could muster. Mattison Buster relieved Floyd in the bottom of the third. McCrary led off the inning with a double. With one out, Makayla Packer reached on an infield single, which advanced McCrary to third. Immediately after reaching first, Auburn first base coach Emily Carosone sent Packer to second while Buster had the ball in the circle which resulted in an out. Buster then issued a groundout to complete the scoreless frame.
 
In the fourth, Caroline Easom singled into shallow right field on a 2-0 pitch from Lowe to become the Bulldogs' lone baserunner of the inning. Buster registered another scoreless inning in the bottom of the fourth, highlighted by striking out the Tigers' Skylar Elkins to cap a 15-pitch at-bat.
 
With one out in the fifth, Brooke Diaz hit a line drive up the middle that grazed Lowe's glove for an infield single. Taylor then pinch-ran Olivia Ellingson for Diaz. Gentry Spinks was hit by a pitch with two outs to put runners on first and second. Claire Raley made it a 3-1 game with an RBI single to shallow center field that scored Ellingson.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, the Tigers answered with back-to-back solo home runs from Wohlers and McCrary to extend the lead to 5-1. Following the home runs, Lauren Menzina relieved Buster. The Tigers then continued their offensive production by plating four more runs on four hits, two errors, and two walks to earn a 9-1 run-rule victory.

NEXT UP
The Bulldogs will conclude the War Eagle Classic tomorrow when they face Georgia Tech (10 a.m.) and Auburn (1 p.m.)
 
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