Half a dozen Louisiana Tech sports programs were in action over the weekend, highlighted by the LA Tech golf team producing red numbers for a top-five finish.
SOFTBALL: Louisiana Tech took the drama-filled, extra-inning opening game of the Texas A&M Invitational in College State, Texas, but dropped its final three contests over the two-day event.
LA Tech came from behind four separate times to defeat Montana, 6-5, in 13 innings on Friday afternoon. The Lady Techsters fell, 10-6, in game two to Texas A&M. They dropped a pair on Saturday, losing 7-5 to the Grizzlies and 7-2 to the Aggies.
Bre Hernandez went 11.0 innings in the circle for the win over Montana.
GOLF: The Louisiana Tech linksters recorded their third top-five finish of the season after placing fourth at the Linger Longer Invitational at Great Waters Course in Eatonton, Georgia.
LA Tech was one of just four teams out of the 16-team field to finish the three-day, 54-hole event under par, tallying a -4 (290-283-287=860). The Murphy brothers led the Bulldogs individually, both tying for 11th with an overall score of minus 2.
TENNIS: The short-handed Techsters narrowly fell, 4-3, to Missouri State in a neutral site match in Jonesboro, Arkansas on Saturday morning.
LA Tech was not at 100 percent, missing Lara Unkovich and having Claudia Oravcova playing through aches, but still almost pulled out the win. The Lady Techsters won the opening doubles point and got singles wins from Leonie Schuknecht and Alexia Romero, but the Bears notched four points on courts two, three, five and six.
SOCCER: For only the second time this season, Louisiana Tech could not put one into the back of the net as the Lady Techsters fell, 1-0, to North Texas on Friday night in Denton, Texas.
Facing the eight-time Conference USA champions, LA Tech generated a handful of scoring opportunities in both halves, coming within inches of netting a goal. Meanwhile, North Texas struck for a goal in the first half that was enough to remain undefeated.
BOWLING: The No. 5 Louisiana Tech women’s bowling team defeated Southern, 5-1, in a head-to-head contest on Friday and Saturday at the Lambright Bowling Alley in Ruston.
The Lady Techsters claimed the first three games and the last two, producing a high pin total of 1,034 in the sixth and final game. The team was led by junior Lindsay Manning with 1,238 total pins.
VOLLEYBALL: Starting their second to last Conference USA series, the Tech spikers dropped a 3-0 decision at North Texas on Sunday in Denton, Texas.
LA Tech (falling 25-16, 25-16, 25-17) was paced by Elena Takova and Elizabeth Sandoval with seven kills apiece. The duo rank one and two on the team in kills this season, combining for 153.
Photo: Todd Drexler