RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech Softball team used dominant pitching and timely hitting to defeat Sam Houston 2-1 and earn a series sweep over the Bearkats on Sunday afternoon at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
With the win, the Bulldogs (16-4, 3-0 CUSA) are off to their best start since 1990 and sit atop the Conference USA standings. Louisiana Tech was the only team in the league that swept its opening conference series this weekend.
In the circle, Brook Melnychuk and Allie Floyd baffled Sam Houston batters all afternoon. Melnychuk started the game, striking out two while allowing one run on two hits in three innings pitched. Allie Floyd then took control the rest of the way by spinning four shutout innings, in which she struck out three and allowed just one hit and a walk. Floyd earned the victory to improve to 6-1 on the season.
Katelin Cooper led the efforts at the plate by going 2-2 with a pair of doubles, a run scored, and an RBI. Alannah Rogers had an RBI single up the middle that brought home the first run of the ballgame, while Kylie Neel and Aubree Seaney both doubled in the victory. Alexis Gilio and Caroline Easom also reached base courtesy of walks.
Mika Vento took the loss for Sam Houston (9-12) in relief to fall to 2-4 on the season. Vento allowed one run on two hits and struck out three in two innings. The Bearkats’ ace, Daryn Grams, started the game and would allow one run on three hits in her four innings pitched.
NOTABLES
– Alexis Gilio extended her reached-base streak to seven games with a two-out walk in the first inning. Following the walk she stole second base for her team-leading seventh stolen base this season.
– Katelin Cooper’s collected two doubles in a single game for the first time in her career.
– Aubree Seaney has the longest active hitting streak on the team at three games. Her fourth-inning double was her sixth of the season.
– The three-game series sweep, marked the first time since 2019 that Louisiana Tech had swept its first conference series of the season. The feat has only been accomplished twice since Tech officially joined a conference in 2000.
– The Bulldogs are 19-14 all-time in games played on March 10.
– The Bulldogs are 87-48 under head coach Josh Taylor who owns a career head coaching record of 320-216.
– Allie Floyd earned her sixth win of the season. She is just two wins shy of her 2023 total of eight.
– LA Tech is off to its best start since 1990 when the Bulldogs also started 16-4.
– Louisiana Tech has now won 1,290 games all time, including 524 in Ruston.
– The Bulldogs lead the all-time series with Sam Houston 20-12.
QUOTABLES
On the pitching staff…
“Our entire pitching staff is really good. It begins and ends with Chelsea Cohen our pitching coach. She does a phenomenal job of handling them and keeping them loose. She helps them understand what they do well and what they don’t and how they are going to get people out. You have two different types of pitchers with Allie (Floyd) and Brook Melnychuk and they combo off of each other very well. They do a really good job and we have great relief pitchers as well that can come in and keep us in games. Whether they start or come in out of the bullpen they are the same every time so we know what we are going to get. The whole pitching staff does a fantastic job.”- head coach Josh Taylor.
On a 3-0 conference start…
“We say championships are won on Sunday. We have to be able to win on Sundays whether it is a 2-1 game or whatever it may be. Being able to come out and get that opening-series sweep is huge and hopefully leads us to bigger and better things down the road.” – head coach Josh Taylor
HOW IT HAPPENED
Brook Melnychuk made her seventh start of the year for LA Tech, while the Bearkats returned to their ace Daryn Grams for the second time in the series.
Ellie Grill led off the ballgame with a double into the left-center field gap, but that is all Sam Houston would get as Melnychuk retired the next three batters, courtesy of two groundouts and a strikeout.
Alexis Gilio and Caroline Easom drew two-out walks in the bottom half. Gilio also swiped second, recording her seventh stolen base of the season.
Melnychuk pitched a 1-2-3 second inning, which was highlighted by right fielder Alannah Roger’s spectacular diving catch in foul territory to end the inning. Louisiana Tech took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second courtesy of two-out doubles from Kylie Neel and Katelin Cooper.
The Bearkats tied the game in the third inning on a solo home run from third baseman Tricia Yarotsky.
Allie Floyd relieved Melnychuk in the fourth and faced the minimum as Brooke Diaz threw out a Bearkat trying to steal for the second out of the inning while Floyd struck out the other two batters she faced. Aubree Seaney doubled down the right field line to lead off the bottom half, but Tech could not push a run across.
In the fifth inning, Floyd retired Sam Houston in order. Katelin Cooper led off the home half with her second double of the day and would later come around to score on Alannah Rogers’ RBI single to put the Bulldogs ahead 2-1.
Floyd made it eight straight Sam Houston batters retired with a 1-2-3 sixth inning. The Bulldogs were retired in order in the bottom of the sixth.
Brodie Quinlan walked to put the tying run on first base for the Bearkats in the seventh, but that was as far as she would get. Floyd got the next batter to line out to Raley at third before issuing a groundout to Nicole Hammoude at shortstop for the game’s final out.
NEXT UP
The Bulldogs are back in action on Tuesday when they host Northwestern State at 6 p.m.
For all the latest in Bulldog Softball, follow them on Twitter (@LATechSB), Instagram (@LATechSB) and Facebook (Louisiana Tech Softball) or visit the official website at LATechSports.com.
