RUSTON – A flurry of extra base hits from home standing Louisiana Tech were too much for Northwestern State on Tuesday afternoon in a 9-1 loss in five innings.
The Bulldogs had six of their 11 total hits in the game go for multiple bases, including a first-inning home run to give them an early lead and back-to-back long balls in the fourth to break the game open.
While Tech collected the bulk of the multi-bag hits in the game, the Demons picked up a pair of their own.
Peyton Peck roped a double to the left center wall to start the second inning, the first double of her freshman season. The Demons were unable to cut into the 2-0 deficit at that point however as Peck was tagged out on a ground out to third two batters later squandering the run-scoring chance.
An inning later sophomore
Aly Delafield left no doubt a run would score with her lone hit of the game, her first career home run.
Also coming from the leadoff spot in the inning, Delafield drove a ball to the opposite field that cleared the fence by 20 feet for her first Demon dinger to cut Bulldog lead in half with one swing three pitches into the inning.
"Really proud of Aly tonight," head coach
Jenny Fuller said. "She was doing extra with Brad (Fuller) yesterday after practice and she's been working really hard on her hitting. We know what she's capable of at the plate and that's why we keep running her out there to get those at bats."
Two of NSU's three hits in the game went for extra bases, with
Camryn Becnel's sinking line drive into left, immediately following Delafield's long ball, the only single of the night for the Demons.
Making her first career start, Tech freshman Laney Johnson received immediate run support from her teammates after surrendering the home run to her former high school teammate at North DeSoto.
Tech went back up by two in the bottom of the third on a leadoff triple to right and ensuing double to left center. They broke the game open in the fourth with six runs on seven hits, including the two consecutive home runs to secure the five-inning win.
The Demons begin play at the Boerner Invitational hosted by UT Arlington on Friday against the host Mavericks at 4 p.m. on ESPN+.
