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Ruston, La. – Behind home runs from Ali Floyd and Emma Hutchinson and a 10th-inning walk-off sacrifice fly from Kylie Neal, the Louisiana Tech softball team beat UTSA, 1-0, on Sunday afternoon at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field. Sweeping the Roadrunners series.
Tech got the lone run they needed in the bottom of the 10th with one out when Kylie Neal singled off the Roadrunners’ Jamie Gilbert to center field on a 1-1 tie, allowing Bailey Wright to run home for the lone run of the game. Wright led off the inning with a single to right before moving to second on a sacrifice fly from Sierra Sacco and getting third courtesy of a single to left by Amanda Gonzalez.
As usual, the Lady Texans’ pitching staff was dominant. Allie Floyd made her debut by pitching five scoreless innings, striking out three UTSA batters and allowing just two hits. Emma Hutchinson pitched five shutout innings of relief to pick up the win, allowing two walks and five hits.
Tech had just three shutouts all season and didn’t allow a run all weekend in 24 innings against a UTSA team that entered the series. It is the first time in program history that the Lady Texters have shutout a conference foe in all three games.
LA Tech is now 26-18 overall and 8-7 in Conference USA play. The Lady Techsters sit in sixth place in Conference USA, a half game behind Western Kentucky.
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– Kylie Neal extended her hitting streak to 15 and extended her hitting streak to nine games in the middle of the first inning.
– The sweep was the Lady Texters’ second sweep of the season and first Conference America sweep. Tech defeated the Redhawks 4-0, 8-0 and 6-1 to open the season.
– LA Tech’s pitching staff has now thrown 24-consecutive scoreless innings, the second longest this season. Tech threw 27 scoreless innings this season, March 4-7.
– Neal’s game-winning sacrifice fly was his team-best 35th RBI of the season, which ranked fourth in Conference USA. Neal led back-to-back game-winning drives.
– The win is Tech’s 1,286th and 517th all-time in Ruston.
– The shutout was the 11th by the Louisiana Tech pitching staff this season.
How did it happen?
Josh Taylor called on Ali Floyd to make her 11th start of the season for LA Tech, while Kenzie Schultz made her fourth start of the year for the Roadrunners.
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Floyd retired the first six batters she faced in her first two innings in the circle, picking up one strikeout in the process.
The Lady Texans put runners on in the first two innings with two outs. In the bottom of the first, Kylie Neal singled up the middle to extend her hitting streak to nine games. Brock Diaz doubled to right-center in the second inning.
Floyd pitched another scoreless frame in the third, the only blemish coming on a two-out single by the Roadrunners’ Cierra Mata.
With one out in the bottom of the third, Sierra Sacco and Amanda Gonzalez singled to center. Following the singles, UTSA made a highlight change and brought in Jamie Gilbert. Kylie Neel walked to load the bases. Gilbert escaped the fumble and bounced back to keep the game scoreless.
Floyd’s third loss of the game came in the fourth inning. Tech was retired in order in the final half.
Neither team could generate any offense in the fifth.
Emma Hutchinson entered the game in the sixth and held the Roadrunners to a scoreless frame. UTSA led the unners with a pair of singles, but Hutchinson gave up a groundout to shortstop Amanda Gonzalez to end the inning.
Kylie Neel reached on an error by UTSA shortstop Kat Ibarra to lead off the bottom of the sixth. But Lady Texter could not advance her.
Emma Hutchinson led the Roadrunners in the top of the order in the seventh. Tech couldn’t pass at the plate in the bottom half.
Sierra Sacco led off the bottom of the eighth with an infield single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, but that was as far as she would get.
Hutchinson retired the Roadrunners with a 1-2-3 ninth to make it nine straight. Caroline Isom singled through the left side with one out in the bottom of the ninth. The Bossier City product will be the sole starting point for the entry.
In the top of the 10th, a single to left field by Lindsay Davis retired Hutchinson’s 10-game hitting streak. After one out, Ciara Mata singled to left field to put runners on first and second and Kat Ibarra stepped to the plate. Ibarra beat a slow roller to first base for an infield single to load the bases. Hutchinson and Tech escaped the bullpen, allowing Marena Estelle to fly out to Sacco in center field for the final out of the frame.
Bailey Wright had a nice hitting display, hitting a two-run changeup from Gilbert to right field for the leadoff hit in the bottom of the 10th. Sierra Sacco then drove in Wright with a sacrifice bunt. Amanda Gonzalez singled to left to advance Wright to third. Gonzalez reached second in the game on an errant throw by the UTSA left fielder. After a batter, Kylie Neal stepped to the plate and sent a sacrifice fly to center field, allowing Wright to score, giving the Lady Texans a 1-0 lead and the series win.
Hutchinson got the win to improve to 3-1 on the season while Gilbert snapped the loss to 1-8, making UTSA 7-32 this season and 3-11 in conference play.
Next
Tech returns to action on Friday, April 21 when they open a three-game series at UTEP.
For the latest in Late Techster Softball, follow them on Twitter (@LATEchSB), Instagram (@LATEchSB) and Facebook (Louisiana Tech Softball) or visit the official website at LATechSports.com.
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