LA Tech claims two more softball wins Sunday, downing ACU and FDU

RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech improved to 10-1 on the season by defeating Abilene Christian and Fairleigh Dickinson in a pair of Sunday games on the final day of the Lady Techster Invitational in Ruston.

Although neither win would be what head coach Mark Montgomery termed pretty, Tech defeated ACU 7-4 before coming back for a 7-5 win over FDU.

Tech finished the tournament with a 4-1 mark, plating 43 runs in five games and hitting .390 as a team. Seniors Morgan Turkoly and Jazlyn Crowder joined juniors Marilyn Rizzato and Kimmie Atienza on the 15-person all-tournament team following their individual performances during the weekend.

The Lady Techsters will return to action Saturday when they travel to DeLand, Florida, to face Stetson in a doubleheader. Tech will play nine games in nine days during the Florida road trip over spring break.

Game 1: LA Tech 7, Abilene Christian 4

Jazlyn Crowder and Marilyn Rizzato recorded multi-hit games and Louisiana Tech jumped out to a 7-0 lead before holding on for the victory.

Tech plated three runs in the first, one in the second, two in the third and one in the fourth and appeared poised to post another run-rule victory. However, ACU scored two runs with two outs in the fifth and then scored two more with two outs in the seventh before Tech pitcher Preslee Gallaway got a fly out with the tying run at the plate to end the game.

Gallaway (3-1) picked up the win, throwing a complete game while allowing four runs – two earned – on 12 hits and zero walks while striking out five.

Tech took a 1-0 lead on a throwing error by ACU in the first and then followed it up with an RBI single by Crowder and Rizzato to increase the advantage to 3-0. The Lady Techsters added a single run in the second after back-to-back two-out doubles by Turkoly and Crowder.

The third inning saw Tech push the lead to 6-0. Rizzato singled and Mary Terral doubled to put runners on second and third before Bayli Simon lay down an RBI bunt single, scoring Rizzato. Sloane Stewartson then drove home Terral with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

Tech’s final run of the game came in the fourth inning. Turkoly was hit by a pitch, moved to third on a Crowder single and then scored on Zoe Hicks ground out.

Game 2: LA Tech 7, Fairleigh Dickinson 5

Tech found itself in a dog fight in game two of the day but plated three runs in the fifth inning to take the lead before Preslee Gallaway came on in relief to retire six straight batters and pick up her third save of the season.

Trailing 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning, Tech got an RBI single by Morgan Turkoly and a two-run home run by Jazlyn Crowder to take a 3-1 lead. FDU responded with two runs in the top of the third inning against Tech starter Krystal De La Cruz to tie the game at 3-3.

After FDU took a 4-3 lead in the fourth, Bayli Simon responded with a blast over the left field wall – her first of the season – tying the game again at 4-4. FDU took its final lead with a single run in the top of the fifth inning, but once again, Tech had the answer.

Crowder singled, Zoe Hicks walked and Sloane Stewartson singled to start the inning before a throwing error allowed Crowder to score to tie the game at 5-5. Simon gave Tech the lead with an RBI single and AJ Williams provided some cushion with an RBI ground out.

Freshman Hannah Koenig (2-0) picked up the win in relief, allowing one run on three hits and two walks in 2.0 innings of work.