RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech Softball split its doubleheader with FIU by taking game one 5-1 and falling in game two 3-2 on Senior Day at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.

The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 31-20 record giving Louisiana Tech 30-plus wins for the third straight season.

The Bulldogs will play on Wednesday and be either the No. 3 or 4 seed in the CUSA tournament depending on the outcomes of remaining league games.

In the game one victory, Alexis Gilio went 2-3 with a career-high four RBI to lead the Bulldogs at the plate. Nicole Hammoude drove in a run with an RBI single to shallow center field. Kylie Neel, Katelin Cooper, and Claire Raley also recorded hits in the win.

Brook Melnychuk was magnificient again while going the distance. Melnychuk allowed just one run on seven hits while collecting four strikeouts during her second complete-game victory this week to improve 12-7 on the season.

The Bulldogs could not capitalize when trailing 3-2 with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the seventh in game two. FIU pitcher Sydney Birling was able to escape the bases-loaded jam with three consecutive outs to help FIU (21-29, 8-16 CUSA) earn the series victory.

Gilio (2-4) and Claire Raley (2-2, 1 BB) each had two hits in the game two loss. Cooper doubled and Alannah Rogers and Caroline Easom both singled. Hammoude and Neel drove in both of the Bulldogs runs in the contest.

Following the conclusion of game two, Louisiana Tech honored its 10-member senior class of KB Briley, Katelin Cooper, Brooke Diaz, Caroline Easom, Olivia Ellingson, Emma Hutchinson, Jordyn Manning, Lauren Menzina, Kylie Neel and Gentry Spinks. 

NOTABLES
- Alexis Gilio set a career high with four RBI in the game one win over FIU. Gilio also recorded two hits in both contests. She now has 28 career multi-hit games and three multi-RBI games.
- Brook Melnychuk tossed her fourth career seven-inning complete game. It was her second complete game in as many outings as she threw a complete-game shutout in a win over McNeese on Tuesday.
- Claire Raley recorded a career-high eight assists in the game one win.
- The Bulldogs are 672-401 all-time in doubleheaders.
- Caroline Easom leads Tech with a five-game reached base streak.
- The Bulldogs are 102-64 under head coach Josh Taylor who owns a career head coaching record of 335-232.
- The Bulldogs' 10-member senior class accumulated 132 wins during their five years in Ruston, highlighted by a Conference USA Regular Season Championship in 2022.

QUOTABLES
On the day…
"We found a way to score runs in game one and Brook Melnychuk was outstanding in the circle. In game two we had bases loaded and no one out in both the first and seventh innings and only got one run out of it. It is the same story as Friday night we have to hit and be more productive offensively."- head coach Josh Taylor.

On the Senior Class…
"They mean a lot to us. They were here when we first got here. Having the senior class leave with a regular season championship under their belt is big and we are looking to cap it with a conference tournament championship. They mean a lot to us. They have hung with us the whole time. There has been good times and bad times and ups and downs in addition to all the things that go with college sports. They have stuck it out and I am proud of them. They are a great group and we are going to miss them." head coach Josh Taylor.

GAME ONE
Brook Melnychuk made her 18th start of the season for LA Tech, while FIU went with sophomore Ella Whitney.

In the top of the first, Melynchuk worked a 1-2-3 inning by getting all three batters to ground out to Claire Raley at third base.

Kylie Neel singled to right field with two outs in the bottom of the first and would later come around to score on an RBI single from Nicole Hammoude.

Zamya McBurrows reached on an infield single with one out in the top of the second inning. McBurrows took second and third courtesy of a wild pitch and a passed ball. Casey Goguts would tie the game with two outs with an RBI double off the top of the left-field fence.

Caroline Easom led off the bottom of the second with a walk and advanced to second on an infield single from Raley. Paris Endris then moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt for the first out of the inning. Katelin Cooper followed with a walk to load the bases. Following Cooper's walk, FIU made a pitching change and brought in Jewelie Vanderkous. Alexis Gilio put the Bulldogs back in front with a two-run double.

Melnychuk tossed another scoreless frame in the third inning, capped by a strikeout.

In the bottom of the third, Hammoude reached on a lead-off walk before Vanderkous retired the next three to end the inning.

FIU would only have one runner reach in the fourth by way of an error as Melnychuk tossed her third scoreless inning of the day.

Cooper led off the inning in the LA Tech half with her second walk of the game and would come around to score on an RBI single from Gilio.

Both teams were kept off the scoreboard in the fifth inning. FIU threatened when Callie Peaden singled through the right side and momentarily advanced on a bunt by Kally Meredith, but Meredith was called out for being out of the baseline for out No. 2 as Peaden went back to first base.

Melnychuk escaped a two-out first and third jam in the top of the six by issuing a flyout to Cooper in left. 

With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Paris Endris walked and advanced to second on a bunt single by Cooper. Alannah Rogers then walked to load the bases before Gilio increased the Bulldogs lead to 5-1 with a sacrifice fly to left field. 

Melnychuk trotted back out to the circle in the seventh with a complete game victory on the line. She struck out her first two batters faced before Meredith singled with two outs. Following the single, Melnychuk finished the complete game by getting Martinez to ground out to Raley at third for the final out of the contest. 

GAME TWO
Lauren Menzina started in the circle for LA Tech while FIU returned to its Friday starter, Sydney Birling.

The Panthers' Collier Peaden singled up the middle to start the game before stealing second base and advancing to third on a sacrifice bunt. Following the SAC bunt, Menzina issued a strikeout and a flyout to escape unscathed. 

Alannah Rogers walked to lead off the bottom of the first and advanced to second on an infield single by Alexis Gilio. A pitch hit Kylie Neel to load the bases before Nicole Hammoude gave Tech a 1-0 lead with an RBI groundout to first base.

Casey Goguts singled with two outs in the top of the second and came around to score courtesy of three straight wild pitches to tie the game at 1-1.

Following the top of the second, the game entered a 15-minute rain delay.

In the bottom half, Claire Raley resumed play with a bunt single before stealing second to move into scoring position but would not get further as Birling issued two flyouts and a groundout to complete a scoreless frame.

Following Isabella Perez's two-out single in the top of the third, Allie Floyd entered the game in place of Lauren Menzina and got Bailey Grossenbacher to ground out to Caroline Easom to end the inning. 

Birling retired the Bulldogs in order during the bottom half.

Floyd tossed a scoreless fourth inning. A one-out single by Zamya McBurrows was the only obstacle Floyd would encounter.

Claire Raley smashed a double into left-center field with one out in the bottom of the fourth. Raley would advance to third on a ground out by Gentry Spinks. FIU escaped the frame as Grossenbacher robbed Katelin Cooper of an extra-base hit in right field to end the inning with Raley on third.

Both sides were retired in order during the fifth inning.

Back-to-back solo home runs by Bailey Grossenbacher and Ella Whitney gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead with two outs in the top of the sixth inning.

In the bottom of the sixth, Caroline Easom singled through the left side with two outs and advanced to second on a walk by Raley, but Birling would escape unscathed courtesy of a groundout.

Floyd worked a 1-2-3 top of the seventh to keep the Bulldogs' deficit at two. 

Katelin Cooper led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a double to left-center field. Rogers and Gilio followed with a pair of infield singles to load the bases. Kylie Neel was hit by a pitch that drove Cooper in and cut the FIU lead to 3-2. Birling and FIU would escape trouble again, recording three consecutive outs by way of a flyout, lineout, and fielder's choice as the Bulldogs left the bases loaded, and FIU earned a series win. 

NEXT UP
The Bulldogs are back in action next week at the Conference USA Tournament in Las Cruces, N.M.
 
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