RUSTON – Tied at one apiece through five innings, Louisiana Tech allowed five runs over the final two frames as the Bulldogs fell to Sam Houston, 6-1, on Friday in the series opener at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field. The loss moves LA Tech to 22-22 (8-11 Conference USA).

The Bulldogs were outhit 7-5 and recorded just one extra base hit, a solo home run by Alannah Rogers in the bottom of the first inning. Allie Furr, Gracie Flores, Reagan Marchant and Elena Heng all recorded singles.

Allie Floyd (9-14) made the start and took the loss after allowing four runs on three hits with seven strikeouts and one walk across 5.2 innings. Bryannah Campos pitched the final 1.1 and allowed two runs on four hits with one strikeout.

Tech took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a solo shot to right field by Rogers. The Bearkats tied the game in the top of the second with a solo blast from Peyton Helmly.

Floyd allowed just one baserunner, a walk, after the early home run through the first five innings until a hit-by-pitch put another runner aboard. A wild pitch and a double then gave Sam Houston a 2-1 lead. The Bearkats added on as Helmly hit her second home run of the game, a two-run shot to make 4-1 SHSU.

After a pitching change, Sam Houston added two runs on four hits in the seventh to take a 6-1 advantage. The Bearkats used three singles and a double before the Bulldogs went down in order in the bottom of the frame.

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

"I loved us for the first five innings. Our dugout energy, our energy, the quality of our at bats. Allie Floyd was incredible for the first five. I thought that it was all there…the intensity, the focus, the excitement to play…It was all there for five innings, but this game is seven innings, and you have to be able to sustain it for seven innings. We talk about it all the time as far as the championship mindset. Champions finish and we have to be able to finish games. I thought we certainly played at a high-level for the first five, but champions finish and we did not finish."
 
NOTABLES
- Josh Taylor moves to 157-113 as head coach at LA Tech.
- LA Tech leads the all-time series 21-16.
-  Alannah Rogers hit her second career home run.
- Allie Floyd surpassed 400 career strikeouts and now sits at 406.
- Allie Floyd registered her 36^th appearance with five or more strikeouts after finishing with seven.
- Allie Furr upped her hit-streak to 14 games while Gracie Flores has hit safely in 10 consecutive games.
 
NEXT UP
The Bulldogs and Bearkats will be back in action tomorrow morning at 11:00 a.m. Originally slated for a 2:00 p.m. start, forecasted storms later in the day have pushed the start time up three hours to 11:00 a.m.