LYNCHBURG, Va. – Louisiana Tech arrived at Kamphuis Field at Liberty Softball Stadium around noon Saturday and did not leave until nearly 9 p.m., battling two weather delays totaling 3 hours and 46 minutes before shutting out Liberty, 10-0, to secure the series victory. The win moves LA Tech to 24-23 (11-12 Conference USA).
 
LA Tech becomes just the second team to hand Liberty a CUSA series loss since joining the conference after Jax State did it earlier this season.
 
The Bulldogs outhit the Flames 10-4 as three Bulldogs recorded two hits in Gracie Flores, Allie Furr and Aleah Brooks. Bradi Gallaway, Reese Torres, Jina Baffuto and Elena Heng all added hits for Tech. Flores led the way with three RBI, while Torres drove in two on a pinch-hit home run in the seventh.
 
Ruby Fidge made her second start of the season and excelled, limiting the Flames to two hits across three innings while walking one. Bryannah Campos (6-3) earned the win in relief after holding Liberty to two hits across four innings.
 
After a scoreless first from both sides, LA Tech got the scoring started in the top of the second as Reagan Marchant and Brooks drew back-to-back walks to start the inning. After a strikeout and an infield fly, Heng singled through the left side to load the bases.
 
All runners advanced on a wild pitch that allowed Marchant to cross home plate to make it 1-0 Tech. Furr worked a five pitch walk to load the bases, followed by a 14 pitch walk to Flores that scored Brooks to make it 2-0.
 
Fidge would face just one batter in the bottom of the second before the game went into a two hour and 27-minute delay. Once resumed, Fidge was able to get out of the second after working around a double and worked around a walk and a one out single in the third.
 
After a Bulldog strikeout and groundout in the fourth, the game would go into a second rain delay, this time lasting for one hour and 19 minutes. Tech came out swinging when the game resume as Furr doubled, followed by a single from Flores that scored Furr to make it 3-0.
 
Campos relieved Fidge in the bottom of the fourth and worked around a two-out single to escape the frame. The Bulldogs went down in order in the fifth while Campos worked around a leadoff double from Liberty.
 
The onslaught began in the sixth as Tech scored four runs on three hits and one error to take a 7-0 lead, while doing all its damage with two outs. Baffuto recorded a two-out double while Heng reached on a walk. Furr reached on a throwing error that scored Heng and Baffuto to make it 5-0. Flores doubled to left center to score Furr, followed by a second consecutive double from Gallaway that plated Flores to make it 7-0 Tech.
 
Campos worked a 1-2-3 sixth before LA Tech tacked on three more in the seventh. Brooks singled to start the frame followed by a pinch-hit home run from Torres to make it 9-0. Heng reached on an error and advanced to second on a single from Furr and then both runners moved up on a wild pitch, followed by a walk to Gallaway to load the bases. A second wild pitch allowed Heng to score, bringing the game to 10-0.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Josh Taylor
Coach Taylor's Postgame Comments.…

"We were incredibly resilient tonight!! Sitting through two long weather delays and maintaining our energy throughout the day was incredible. I am really proud of today's win for so many reasons. Ruby [Fidge] gave us a tremendous start and [Bryannah] Campos was steady and effective again. Our bats were electric as well."

NOTABLES
- Josh Taylor moves to 160-114 as head coach at LA Tech.
- LA Tech moves to 11-2 against Liberty all-time.
- Gracie Flores has now hit safely in 14 straight games.
- The recorded their sixth shutout of the season.
- The Bulldogs registered 10 or more hits for the 15^th time this season and move to 11-4 when doing so.
- Gracie Flores registered her second multi-RBI game of the season and her eighth multi-hit outing.  
- Reese Torres hit her fifth home run of the season and now has 16 in her career.
- Ruby Fidge made her second start of the season in the circle.
 
NEXT UP
LA Tech will look to hand Liberty its first-ever CUSA series sweep tomorrow at 10 a.m. CT.