YOUNGSVILLE, La. – Louisiana Tech softball moved to 6-1 on the season after splitting its first two games in the Mardi Gras Mambo on Friday.
 
The Bulldogs defeated New Mexico 4-3 on a Reagan Marchant walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh before falling to Eastern Illinois 4-2 in game two. Marchant finished the day with two hits and three RBI.
 
Elena Heng tallied four hits and three stolen bases, with three of her hits coming against EIU. Aleah Brooks tallied two base knocks in the win over New Mexico.
 
Allie Floyd (2-0) earned the win in game one after pitching 5.0 innings in relief while allowing no runs, three hits and striking out five.
 
GAME ONE - LA TECH 4, NEW MEXICO 3
 
Game one was a back-and-forth affair through the first two innings before Tech scored twice over the final two frames to secure a walk-off win. New Mexico opened the scoring in the top of the first, using a walk, passed ball, sacrifice bunt and sacrifice fly to plate the game's first run.
 
The Bulldogs responded in the bottom of the inning as Heng scored from second on a Marchant single. Heng reached on a walk and advanced 60 feet on an Allie Furr sac bunt.
 
The Lobos jumped out to a two-run lead in the second, taking advantage of two hits, a hit batter and an error. LA Tech cut the deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the inning as Alannah Rogers drove in Brooks with a flyout to left in foul territory. Brooks led off with a walk and took second on a hit by pitch to Flores and advanced on a bunt single by Jina Baffuto.
 
Brooks opened the bottom of the sixth with a double and was replaced by Avery Jefferson on the base path, who would score the tying run on a single by Gracie Flores.
 
Following a groundout by Furr, Marchant registered her first home run of the season, a solo blast to right field to give Tech the 4-3 walk-off victory.
 
Bryannah Campos started in the circle and pitched 2.0 innings while allowing three runs (one earned) on two hits.
 
GAME ONE – EIU 4, LA Tech 2
 
A pitcher's duel through the first few innings, LA Tech jumped out to a 2-0 lead after scoring one run in the third and fourth.
 
Cali Bennett led off the third inning with a double to left field and would come around to score on a Marchant groundout after moving into scoring position on a bunt single from Heng. Carolina Eidson made it 2-0 Tech in the fourth after pinch running for Brooks who drew a walk. Eidson stole second and advanced 60 more feet to third on a Baffuto single and took home on a throwing error.
 
EIU answered with two runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to take a 4-2 lead which would prove to last. The Panthers scored twice on four hits in the fifth, using a single, a bunt single, a single to left and a single up the middle.
 
The Panthers added two more runs in the sixth on a two-run home run to right-center by Abi Hatton that scored Alisha Fredrick.
 
The Bulldogs threatened in the bottom of the seventh as Heng and Furr recorded back-to-back one out infield singles, but a strikeout and infield popup would eliminate LA Tech's scoring threat and seal the win for EIU.
 
Ruby Fidge (0-1) took the loss in the circle after allowing two runs on five hits over the final 2.0 innings. Laney Johnson started the contest and pitched 5.0 innings, giving up two runs on four hits.
 
Defensively, Heng registered her first two outfield assists of the season, preventing runs from scoring in both the fifth and seventh innings.  
 
NOTABLES
- The Bulldogs move to 4-3 all-time against New Mexico and 4-2 against EIU.
- LA Tech moves to 8-4 in Mardi Gras Mambo games.
- Aleah Brooks tallied her fourth multi-hit game of the season after collecting two hits against New Mexico.
- Elena Heng now has 22 career multi-hit games after finishing with three hits against EIU. It was her fifth career three-hit game.
- Reagan Marchant hit her 19^th career home run.
- Reagan Marchant tallied her 14^th career multi-hit game and 19^th career multi-RBI game.
- Allie Floyd struck out five or more batters for the 27^th time in her career after picking up five strikeouts in game one.  
 
NEXT UP
The Bulldogs will be back in action tomorrow afternoon, taking on St. Thomas at 3:00 p.m. and SIUE at 5 p.m.