By Stephen Featherston, Louisiana Tech Director of Strategic Communications; featured photo by Stephen Featherston
EL Paso, Texas — Louisiana Tech completed the series sweep over UTEP on Sunday as the Bulldogs won both ends of their double header. LA Tech won the first game 7-6 in nine innings, while earning a 5-2 win over the Miners in the finale. The two wins move the Bulldogs to 16-11 (4-2) CUSA.
Allie Floyd moved to 12-5 on the season after picking up two wins in relief in both ends of the double header. She pitched 5.0 innings in relief in game one and allowed five hits, no runs and struck out five.
Floyd turned around and pitched 5.0 more innings in relief in game two and allowed five hits, one run, no walks and struck out three.
Alexis Gilio had five hits between the two games, while Reagan Marchant and Nicole Hammoude had three base knocks apiece. Hammoude drove in four runs across the two wins.
Game One | LA Tech 7, UTEP 6 – 9 Innings
Laney Johnson earned the start in the circle and logged 3.0 innings, while allowing one run and one hit. Floyd pitched the final five frames and earned the win.
Hammoude led the Bulldogs with three hits, while Claire Raley, Hammoude, Marchant, and Elena Heng all tallied two hits each. Raley and Hammoude both drove in two runs, while Marchant, Alannah Rogers, and KB Briley all recorded one RBI.
UTEP struck first in the bottom of the first as they plated one run to take an early lead. The Miners reached on an error to start the game and single would place a runner on first and third. UTEP was able to score on a wild pitch.
The Bulldogs scored five in the third to take a 5-1 lead. KB Briley reached on an error to start the inning, followed by a bunt single from Heng that advanced Briley to second. After a strikeout, the Bulldogs followed with four straight singles from Rogers, Raley, Hammoude, and Marchant to drive in five runs.
The Miners plated two runs in the both the fourth and fifth to tie the game at 5-5. After a scoreless sixth inning, Raley hit a solo home run to left center that put the Bulldogs up by a run, but UTEP responded with a two out home run in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 6-6, sending it to extras.
After neither team scored in the eighth, the Bulldogs went up by a run in the top of the ninth as Briley recorded an RBI sac fly that ended up as the game winning run. Briley was able to plate Hammoude who singled to start the inning.
Game Two | LA Tech 5, UTEP 2 – 6 Innings
Ryleigh Shull got the start in game two but was pulled after loading the bases with a hit and two walks. Allie Floyd took over and went the distance as she limited the Miners to five hits, no runs, and striking out five. Floyd allowed a hit in the first that scored two runs, with both belonging to Shull.
Glover, Furr and Gilio all tallied two hits each, while Hammoude and Marchant finished with one. Glover and Hammoude both hit two run home runs, while Furr plated a run on a stand-up triple.
After two UTEP runs in the first inning, LA Tech plated five runs across the third and fourth inning, leading to the 5-2 win.
Heng came around to score the Bulldogs’ first run of the game in the top of the third as she scored from first on a Furr triple. LA Tech added four more in the fourth as Hammoude hit a two-run home run to right center that plated Raley, who reached on an error to start the inning. Marchant followed Hammoude with a single and came around to score on a two-run blast to left center from Glover.
The Bulldogs were able to hold the Miners scoreless in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings to secure the win. The game had a drop-dead time of 5:00 p.m. CT due to flight arrangements for the Bulldogs.
NOTABLES
The Bulldogs move to 1-1 in extra-inning games after the 7-6 win over UTEP in game one.
Allie Floyd moves to 11-5 on the season after earning the win in relief.
Laney Johnson made her seventh start of the season in game one.
Alexis Gilio recorded her third multi-hit game of the season after collecting three hits in game one.
Elena Heng recorded her 11th multi-hit game of the season after registering two base knocks in game one.
Claire Raley hit her sixth home run of the season in game one.
Claire Raley recorded her 10th multi-hit game of the season and her 8th multi-RBI game of the season.
Nicole Hammoude logged her eighth multi-RBI game of the season and her sixth multi-hit game.
Reagan Marchant collected two base hits for her fifth multi-hit game of the season.
Ryleigh Shull made her second start of the season in game two.
Allie Floyd recorded her 100th strikeout of the season in game two and became the first Bulldog pitcher to register 100 strikeouts in a season since 2022.
Karolyn Glover hit her third home run of the season in game two.
Allie Furr logged her first extra-base hit of the season on a triple in game two.
Nicole Hammoude registered her ninth multi-RBI game of the season after plating two runs in game two.
NEXT UP
The Bulldogs will be back in action next weekend as Middle Tennessee visits Dr. Billy Bundrick Field for a three game CUSA Series that will get underway on Friday at 6:00 p.m.