Karlee Jensen (with ball) makes a play off the base. Jensen played a role in the Lady Techsters triumph over Northwestern State, 6-5. This win helped bring the Lady Techster’s home game record to 13-2 for the season. – Photos by Brian Blakely
Morgan Bernard
Staff Reporter | mrb056@latech.edu
The Lady Techsters avenged themselves March 22 at the Lady Techster Softball Complex with a 6-5 win against Northwestern State University, preventing the Lady Demons from continuing a four-year winning streak against Tech.
With a tied game until the bottom of the tenth inning, a controversial play at home plate brought in the win for the Lady Techsters.
The beginning of the game, Tech was in the lead with a score of 3-0 in the first inning. RBI hits by Taria Page, Marilyn Rizzato and a sacrifice fly by Katie Smith brought in the three home runs.
By the second inning, the Lady Demons began to retaliate and scored their first run of the game. They also scored two more runs in both the fourth and seventh innings, getting the Demons to a lead of 5-3.
After NSU took the lead in the top of the seventh, Tech was down to its final outs. With one out, Tori Charters, a senior from Keller, Texas, took her third walk of the game. Then Morgan Turkoly, a sophomore from Sanger, Texas, followed with a fly out for the second out.
However, the Lady Techsters were not ready to give up on the game. Taria Page, a sophomore from Anchorage, Alaska, hit a two-run home run which tied the score 5-5. This was Page’s third home run of the season.
Preslee Gallaway, a sophomore from Pilot Point, Texas, came on to pitch in the seventh inning and kept NSU off the board in the top of the 10th with an infield pop-up and strike out. The Tech reliever gave the Lady Techsters a chance to win in the bottom of the frame.
Pauline Tufi (12) anticipates her next move.
The game remained tied until the 10th inning when Ali Galaz, a junior from Mineola, Texas, hit a suicide bunt, bringing in a runner from third and winning the game for Tech.
Katie Smith, a junior from Bossier City, hit a bunt single and Karlee Jensen, a junior from Taylorsville, Utah, set down a sacrifice bunt getting the runners to second and third bases.
With runners on the bases and one out, Galaz’s bunt brought in Marilyn Rizzato, a freshman from Forney, Texas, who collided with the home plate umpire only a few feet before making it to the plate.
Rizzato was able to continue to home before NSU catcher Emma Hawthorne tried to make the tag out.
After recuperating from being knocked off his feet, the umpire called it safe and Tech scored the winning run, despite the aggressive protests of Lady Demons’ coach Donald Pickett.
Mark Montgomery, head coach of the Lady Techsters, said he was upset that the team’s win was disputed, but he was still proud of their work ethic during the game.
“I hate it when any team, in any sport, wins in a controversial fashion,” Montgomery said. “I can not pretend to know why the umpire was not in a better position, nor what he saw or failed to see. However, I can tell you that our batter put down a great squeeze bunt, and our runner did everything she was supposed to do in her approach of the plate. Our execution was flawless and the players did what they were asked to do, and for that I am extremely proud.”