RUSTON, La. — UTSA dropped both ends of a doubleheader at Louisiana Tech, including the longest game in program history, by scores of 3-2 in 14 innings and a regulation 4-0 setback on Saturday at the Lady Techsters Softball Complex.
In the opener, the Roadrunners (16-27, 8-9 C-USA) were a strike away from victory only to watch Krysta Tutsch hit a game-tying two run homer in the bottom of the seventh before Morgan Turkoly hit a walk-off homer in the bottom of the 14th.
Lizzy Fox struck out five and set a school-record with 13 innings pitched in what ended up being the longest game in school annals. The sophomore retired the first 10 batters before an infield single and she limited the Lady Techsters (23-15, 5-6 C-USA) to just that one hit through 6.1 frames.
Jade Smith (2-for-7), Bailee Baldwin (2-for-6, RBI) and Kendall Burton (2-for-6) each finished with a pair of hits during the contest, which lasted more than three hours. In addition, Smith's seven at-bats also set a new program standard.
UTSA got on the board first with the help of a Louisiana Tech error in the top of the third inning. Angelica Nino walked before a bunt single from Smith to bring up Randee Crawford. Crawford singled through the left side and Nino raced home when left fielder Kristen Miles bobbled the ball.
Kristi Miles picked up the first hit against Fox with one out in the fourth and it would be the only hit for the home squad until the bottom of the seventh.
The Roadrunners then doubled their lead with a run in the top of the sixth. Tess Soefje started the inning with a double to the wall in left-center field before she was lifted for pinch runner Lindsie Knowles. Following a sacrifice bunt to move the runner, Baldwin blooped an RBI single over a drawn-in infield to push the advantage to 2-0.
That's where the score stood until the bottom of the seventh. After Fox got a grounder to start the inning, Turkoly singled to left. A pop up produced the second out and UTSA was a strike away from ending the contest, but Tutsch lofted her two-run homer on a full-count pitch off the scoreboard to knot the game, 2-2.
UTSA left five runners on base in the seven extra innings. In the top of the 12th, Burton lined a two-out triple to right field, but Bailey Allen wiggled out of the jam with a strikeout to end the threat.
Neither team could manage a run until Turkoly's walk-off homer to right-center field to lead off the bottom of the 14th. The homer gave Fox a tough-luck loss as she fell to 7-9 on the spring.
In the nightcap, Preslee Gallaway tossed a four-hit shutout to lead Louisiana Tech to a 4-0 victory.
The home squad took the lead in the bottom of the second with a run after a pair of walks and two grounders. Louisiana Tech then scored single runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth to slowly push the lead to 4-0.
UTSA could not get on track against Gallaway, who walked one and recorded a single strikeout during the contest. Much like she did in the first contest, Baldwin picked up a pair of hits for the visitors, but the Roadrunners could not get on the board in the defeat.
The teams will complete the three-game series with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday.
