Staff Writer
Playing at home Tuesday was sweet for the Louisiana Tech softball team, while the nationally-ranked Bulldogs baseball squad prepared to welcome Conference USA foe Alabama-Birmingham to rebuilt J.C. Love Field beginning Thursday evening.
SOFTBALL: After spending the last three and a half weeks on the road, Louisiana Tech was eager to play a home game at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
LA Tech (10-13) got that opportunity on Tuesday and made the most of it, securing a 3-0 win over regional foe Northwestern State (15-8).
The combined three-hit shutout by Audrey Pickett and Bre Hernandez snapped the Lady Demons’ nine-game winning streak that has them atop the early Southland Conference standings.
“Audrey was in control the whole game and that gave our offense a lot of confidence to have her back and find a way to score three runs, said Tech coach Bianca Duran. “Defensively, we were in control as well. I am really proud of the team for bouncing back. Midweeks are not easy to play.”
Pickett allowed only two hits and two walks while striking out four in 6.0 innings of action. Offensively, LA Tech broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth inning when Amanda Gonzalez knocked a run-scoring double to deep right centerfield.
The home team added to its lead the following inning when a two-out single by Madie Green drove in a pair of runners. Hernandez entered the game in the circle in the top of the seventh, earning her first save of the season.
C-USA HITTERS OF THE WEEK: The day before outfielder Madie Green helped the Lady Techsters top the Lady Demons, she was named the Conference USA Softball Hitter of the Week for her performance at Tulsa over the weekend.
The Keller, Texas, native batted .556 with five hits (two home runs, one triple), two runs scored and four RBI while leading LA Tech to a pair of victories over Tulsa.
Earning C-USA Baseball Hitter of the Week honors was Steele Netterville. The Shreveport-Byrd product slugged at the plate with a .368 batting average, tallying eight RBIs, two doubles, two home runs and scoring five runs as the Bulldogs took three of four from preseason favorite Southern Miss in Hattiesburg.
The Bulldogs (17-6, 3-1), ranked as highly as 17th nationally, host Alabama-Birmingham at 6 p.m. Thursday, Friday in a 2 p.m. doubleheader and at 1 p.m. Saturday.
GOLF: Louisiana Tech concluded action at the Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate in Awendaw, South Carolina on Tuesday as the team placed 16th with a +33.
“The effort was there this week,” Tech coach Matt Terry said. “We, as a team, just had a bad outing. We made too many errors and did not have enough birdies.”
Tech’s best round of the tournament came on Monday when the Bulldogs shot a +8 (296). The Bulldogs were led on Monday by sophomore Lake Juban who registered a -1 (71) after finishing his last nine holes at or under par.