RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech softball team outhit FIU 10-9 on Friday night at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field but fell 4-3 to the Panthers in the series opener. The loss moves LA Tech to 21-20 (7-9 Conference USA).
 
Gracie Flores led the Bulldogs with three hits, while Allie Furr collected two. Furr, Bradi Gallaway and Reagan Marchant each drove in a run, and Furr, Flores and Jina Baffuto all scored one run. 
 
Laney Johnson (5-3) took the loss in the circle. She entered in the top of the sixth with the score tied at 3 and allowed a leadoff home run to Leah Clark that proved to be the game-winner. Johnson allowed one run on two hits over two innings.
 
Allie Floyd made the start in the circle and tossed five innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on seven hits with one strikeout.
 
The Panthers struck first in the top of the third on a two-run home run. Kennedy Byrd recorded a one-out single before Janelle Martinez cleared the bases with one swing.
 
The Bulldogs answered with a run in the bottom of the third. Furr drove in Baffuto with a groundout to cut the deficit to 2-1. Baffuto opened the inning with a single, took second on a passed ball and advanced to third on a single by Heng.
 
FIU loaded the bases in the fifth with a single, a bunt single and a walk. A fielding error at third base allowed a run to score, extending FIU's lead to 3-1.
 
LA Tech tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Furr and Flores recorded back-to-back singles before Gallaway added a third consecutive single, scoring Furr and moving Flores to third. Marchant brought home Flores with a sacrifice fly to right to tie the game at three apiece. 
 
FIU regained the lead in the top of the sixth on Clark's leadoff solo home run. The Bulldogs went down in order in the sixth and could not capitalize in the seventh after Gallaway drew a walk, as the Panthers held on for the 4-3 win.

QUOTABLES
Head coach Josh Taylor
Coach Taylor's Postgame Comments.…

"We are really good at hitting singles. You have got to be able to drive the ball at certain points. The difference in the game is they hit two home runs and we hit 10 singles. You have to score runs to win. That's a little bit of this and a little bit of that if you look at how they got their third run. It's just catch and throw. That is an out that they are giving us that we do not take. You look at the home run Laney [Johnson] gives up, it is a 1-2 pitch that's middle-middle. You have to be able to execute every pitch of every game in every contest and that is the hard part about our sport, which is why this sport takes so much grit, heart, determination and mental toughness to play. When you get the right chemistry with that, you usually get results and right now we don't get hits when it matters, and we don't get quality at bats. Let me make sure I'm being clear on that. We don't get quality at bats when it matters. It's not that we are not getting hits, it's that we are getting non-quality at bats with check swings, with swinging at balls in the dirt and with these chase pitches that we're just flailing it. I am exhausted by it. I'm being quite honest; I'm exhausted right now because we teach and we teach and we teach and we tell them there is a difference between hitting and swinging. We are really good at swinging when it doesn't matter. If you watch our batting practices, they are incredible. If you watch the things they do when nobody's watching, we are incredible. Special talent does it when the lights are on and that's the thing. The games are for the players, and you have to be able to go out and play and perform and right now we are not doing that consistently."
 
NOTABLES
- Josh Taylor moves to 156-111 as head coach at LA Tech.
- FIU now leads the all-time series 16-10.
- Allie Furr has an 11-game hit streak.
- Gracie Flores has a seven-game hit streak.
- Allie Furr recorded her 13th multi-hit game of the season while Gracie Flores had her sixth such performance. 
- The Bulldogs have now collected 10 or more hits in 13 games after finishing with 10 tonight. 
-  LA Tech moves to 16-6 when outhitting its opponents. 
- The Bulldogs are now 10-4 when finishing with 10 or more hits. 
 
NEXT UP
The Bulldogs and Panthers will be back in action tomorrow after at 2 p.m.