Softball: Three homer game leads LA Tech to 6-3 win over Princeton

HOUSTON, Texas – Louisiana Tech used home runs from Marilyn Rizzato, Madie Green and Jordyn Manning and a strong pitching performance from Audrey Pickett to record a 6-3 win over Princeton on Sunday in the final day of the Cougar Challenge.

Tech (3-11) fell to the host Cougar 11-3 in the final game of the day.

The Lady Techsters return to action Tuesday at Baylor.

LA Tech 6, Princeton 3 (Sunday)

Audrey Pickett pitched a complete game and recorded a season-high nine strikeouts as Louisiana Tech picked up a 6-3 win over Princeton.

Pickett got plenty of run support in the victory as Marilyn Rizzato, Madie Green and Jordyn Manning each hit home runs in the win, a season high for the Lady Techsters.

Rizzato got the scoring started for Tech with a two-run home run in the first inning to give the Lady Techster the early advantage. After Princeton cut the lead to 2-1, Tech answered with a single run in the third as Addison Roark scored on a foul out by Lindsay Edwards.

After Princeton once again cut the deficit to one run at 3-2, Madie Green hit her first home run of the year over the left centerfield fence to make it 4-2. Manning then followed with a two-run bomb in the sixth to push the advantage to 6-2.

Pickett (1-3) got the win in the circle, allowing three runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out nine.

Houston 11, LA Tech 3 (Sunday)

Madie Green and Lindsay Edwards each homered but Houston used a six-run fifth inning to pull away for an 11-3 win, its second of the tournament against LA Tech.

Houston took an early 2-0 lead but Tech tied it on a Green homer in the third and a Jordyn Manning double in the fourth. Houston then answered with six runs in the fifth to take a commanding 8-2 lead.

Edwards hit her second home run of the season in the sixth before UH hit a three-home run in the bottom of the frame to end the game.

Texas Tech 7, LA Tech 0 (Saturday)

Zoe Hicks recorded two of Louisiana Tech’s three hits but the Lady Techsters were unable to hold the Top 25 Red Raiders in check in the 7-0 loss.

Texas Tech scored two in the first, one in the fourth, one in the fifth and three more in the sixth to pull away and defeat the Lady Techsters for the second time this season.

Lindsay Edwards registered the only other hit of the game for Tech.

Bre Hernandez (2-3) took the loss, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five in 5.0 innings of work in the circle.

Syracuse 8, LA Tech 6 (Saturday)

Tech fell behind 8-0 but rallied back to make it a game before falling 8-6 to Syracuse.

Five errors ultimately proved to be the difference in the loss as Syracuse scored four unearned runs in the victory.

Trailing 8-0, Tech scored two in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to pull within two runs. In the fifth inning, Zoe Hicks drove home Addison Roark with an RBI single and then Kailey Anderson scored on a double steal.

Tech added two runs in the sixth on an RBI ground out by Roark and Meghan Robicheaux scored on a passed ball to close the deficit to 8-4.

Lindsay Edwards drove home Bayli Simon on an RBI double in the seventh and then came around to score on a passed ball.

Edwards had two hits while Hicks, Jordyn Manning, and Anderson each had one hit.