RUSTON –Taking on UTEP in a doubleheader Thursday to avoid forecasted storms on Friday, Louisiana Tech softball secured the series win with a pair of shutout victories at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field. LA Tech blanked the Miners 5-0 in game one, followed by a 3-0 victory in game two. The Bulldogs move to 28-23 (14-12 Conference USA) after the two wins.
 
GAME ONE | LA TECH 5, UTEP 0
 
Allie Floyd (10-14) held the Miners to no runs and two hits across four innings on the way to her 10^th win of the season. The senior struck out six with no walks. Bryannah Campos pitched the final three innings to secure the save, while walking none and striking out one.
 
Tech outhit UTEP 6-4 in the victory, with Allie Furr and Alannah Rogers collecting two hits apiece. Gracie Flores and Bradi Gallaway added hits, while Furr, Flores, Gallaway, Rosalie Dufresne and Jina Baffuto added one RBI each.
 
The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first as Furr led off with a double and, after a lineout, Gallaway followed with an RBI double to bring her home.
 
Tech added two more in the second to take an early 3-0 advantage. Aleah Brooks drew a walk to start the inning followed by a groundout that moved her to second. Elena Heng drew a two-out walk, while Furr singled up the middle to drive in Brooks. Flores recorded an infield single that allowed Heng to score to make it 3-0.
 
Floyd was perfect through three innings, not allowing a base runner until UTEP recorded two one-out singles in the fourth.
 
The Bulldogs made it 5-0 in the fifth as Gallaway scored on a bases loaded hit by pitch to Dufresne. Gallaway drew a leadoff walk, advanced to second on a Rogers single and moved to third on Resse Torres walk. Jina Baffuto recorded a sacrifice fly to right that scored Rogers to make it 5-0.
 
Campos worked one-two-three innings in the sixth and seventh to secure the save and the win for LA Tech.
 
 GAME TWO | LA TECH 3, UTEP 0
 
Laney Johnson (8-4) held UTEP to no runs and four hits across four innings to secure the win in game two. Ruby Fidge picked up her second save after tossing the final three innings. She struck out three while allowing two hits.
 
Flores led the Bulldogs at the plate, going 3-for-3 with three doubles and one RBI. Marchant added two RBI, one on a sacrifice fly and one on a solo home run. Furr, Rogers and Torres added hits in the win.
 
Much like game one, Furr recorded a double to start the game, followed by a double from Flores that scored Furr to make it 1-0. Flores was able to advance to third on a single through the right side from Rogers and scored on a Marchant sacrifice fly.
 
After quiet second and third innings, with only a Flores double, Tech scored its final run of the game when Marchant hit her 17th home run of the season, a solo shot to center, to make it 3-0 LA Tech.
 
Fidge was able to hold the Miners quiet over the next three innings, allowing two singles and working around a throwing error and a walk.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Josh Taylor
Coach Taylor's Postgame Comments.…

" I saw pitching and defense. Our pitchers were incredible. Anytime you throw two shutouts, and if they do not score, and we do, we win, and that is the goal. They did a great job throwing. They kept them off balance. We used multiple looks with them all day. A true staff outing today in both games. They were just really good is what I saw. And then on the defensive side, we played really well on the defensive side. I think that when you look at timely hitting, we got enough of those. When you combine those three things, you know what you get. I don't mean to sound like a broken record all the time, but it's not a secret to success, but those things have to be there in order to be a winning program."

NOTABLES
- Josh Taylor moves to 163-114 as head coach at LA Tech.
- LA Tech moves to 30-17 against UTEP all time.
- Gracie Flores has now hit safely in 17 straight games after collecting hits in both games.
- Gracie Flores hit three doubles in game two, becoming the first Bulldog to do so since Amberly Waits hit three against Alcorn on Mar. 1, 2007.  
- Allie Floyd won her 10^th game of the season and surpassed 100 strikeouts on the season in game one.
- Bryannah Campos earned her third save of the season in game one while Ruby Fidge registered her second save in game two.  
- Laney Johnson earned her eighth win of the season in game two.
- Reagan Marchant broke the CUSA record for home runs in CUSA games in a season with 14.
- Reagan Marchant recorded the 100^th RBI of her career.
- Allie Furr is up to 60 hits this season.
- Allie Furr, Gracie Flores and Alannah Rogers all registered multiple hits. It marked the 16^th such outing for Furr, the 10^th for Flores and the sixth for Rogers.  
 
 
NEXT UP
LA Tech and UTEP will close out its series on Saturday at 11 a.m. with senior day festivities to follow.