Louisiana Tech defeated Southern Miss 8-0 in a softball game on Saturday, ending the match in five innings due to the run-rule. The Bulldogs improved their season record to 11-3.
Freshman Aleah Brooks played a key role, delivering a bases-clearing double in the bottom of the fifth inning that ended the game. Brooks led the team with three hits, including two doubles, and drove in three runs. Another freshman, Bryannah Campos, pitched a complete game one-hitter, allowing only three base runners and striking out four batters.
Rosalie Dufresne also contributed with three RBIs. Elena Heng and Bradi Gallaway each had two hits. Reagan Marchant, Allie Furr, and Dufresne added one hit apiece. Marchant and Jina Baffuto each drove in a run while Marchant and Bennett scored twice.
The Bulldogs took an early lead by scoring three runs in the first inning after four hits forced Southern Miss to make an early pitching change. LA Tech added two more runs in the third inning before sealing their win with Brooks’s double in the fifth.
Head coach Josh Taylor commented on his team’s performance following a loss the previous night: “I loved it. I thought we did a good job. 10 hits and seven walks in five innings, that is going to score some runs. You are going to get that result when you do that. I thought for the most part we did a really good job of commanding the zone. I think we struggled at times with timing and rhythm, but ultimately, I thought they did a really good job. [Aleah Brooks] Brooksie, for a true freshman, really showed a lot of discipline there. Her first hit of the game was off the left field wall. She was staying in her approach, and then she finds the three four-hole on a hard-hit ball, and then she finishes it with the double there in the left center gap. She did a great job with her approach today, not getting too big, not getting off time, staying with her swing, and she had a three for four day. It shows right there. I thought we had a number of hitters that did a good job today. I thought Elena Heng was good all day with her approach. I thought that Bradi Gallaway did a good job. She got a little out in front, but she’s a gamer, so she finds a way to get hits. On the pitching side of it, Bryannah [Campos] did a great job. I think she shoved…she set the tone early which is something we talked about her last start that she didn’t do so I’m proud of her for that adjustment. She really set the tone early and was really good with her change up all day long . She was able to extend the zone up a little bit on them and then was able to work both sides of plate . I think Bryannah was fantastic for us today as well.”
The victory marked Louisiana Tech’s second run-rule win this season as well as its second shutout victory overall against Southern Miss since beginning their matchup history (now standing at 38 wins for LA Tech against 19 losses). Campos achieved career highs during this game by recording four strikeouts along with pitching her first complete game; this outing marked her fifth scoreless appearance this season.
Brooks recorded her fifth multi-hit contest (including three games where she collected at least three hits) along with posting multiple RBIs again; Gallaway now has six multi-hit games while Heng has reached five such performances this year; Dufresne set personal bests by driving home three runners.
Louisiana Tech will play Southern Miss again tomorrow at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field at 12:05 p.m., streaming live on ESPN+.
