Duran helps Techsters end 5-game skid in sweep of UNT

Louisiana Tech's Mark Montgomery is the type of coach to preach the process, not the outcome.

Try selling that to a group of softball players who, amid a regular season conference race, had lost five straight by a combined nine runs.

Behind the arm and bat of senior Bianca Duran and some clutch hitting from Anna Cross, Tech rebounded Saturday and snapped its five-game losing skid with a doubleheader sweep of North Texas.

Duran tossed a two-hit shutout and added a solo home run to give Tech (28-15, 11-6 Conference USA) a 3-0 win in the first game. The Lady Techsters used a three-run home run by Cross in a 4-1 win in the second game to takes the series. They'll go for the series sweep Sunday at a 1 p.m.

"It was really big especially because we kind of fell back with all the progress we were making," said Duran, referring to the losing streak. "Not that we took teams lightly, but we didn't come out being the team we were. Today, we were hitting it, we were playing (defense) and it was overall a great day for us. We needed it."

With the wins, Tech moved back to within a game of UAB and UTSA atop the C-USA West Division standings and all but assured itself a spot in the C-USA conference tournament in May.

Montgomery reiterated Tech wasn't playing poorly during the losing skid, but a pair of wins Saturday made everyone sleep a little easier.

"We gotta be two better than the other team, not just one better," Montgomery said. "Two better, then we make up for bad calls or an unlucky play or a bad hit, and today I think they were two better in both games."

In the first game, Duran picked up her 14th win of the season, cruising through North Texas' lineup without breaking much of a sweat in the 90-degree heat.

Duran had four 1-2-3 innings and faced just two batters more than the minimum of 21 as she lowered her ERA to 2.49.

She hit her eighth home run of the season in the sixth inning as added insurance.

"Senior. Confident. Smart — she's just doing all the little things right," Montgomery said. "What's the most impressive thing about Bianca is not what any of you guys see on the field, it's what I see behind the scenes. She's making her teammates around her play better, and that's what really matters."

Tech scored two runs in the second inning to give Duran some breathing room.

Duran's one-out single helped set up runners in scoring position for senior Janine Godwin, who single down the right field line for a 1-0 lead. Katie Smith tacked on the second run of the inning with a sacrifice fly to right field to score Duran.

North Texas finally scored its first run of the day in the second game off freshman Bailey Allen as the two teams played to a 1-1 tie through 4 ¹/₂ innings.

That's when Cross broke open the game in the fifth with a three-run, line-drive home run to left field for a 4-1 lead.

Cross, who also had an RBI single in the first, finished 2-for-3 with four RBIs.

"That was awesome," Duran said of the home run. "Me and Janine couldn't be more happy or proud of this team and everything we've done, especially today. It's a big weekend for us and everyone wants us to go out with a bang, and we did it today."

North Texas tied it up in the second with an RBI double to the right center field wall.

In the third, Allen worked out of a first and third one-out jam and later a bases loaded situation to keep the score tied at 1-1.

Allen tossed five innings of one-run ball to pick up her seventh win of the season. She exited in the fifth after a leadoff double and gave way to Pauline Tufi, who pitched the final two innings for the save.

"That's exactly what we would expect. Bailey's delivering for us," Montgomery said. "She's doing a great job. I really expect her to get some freshman accolades. She's been a big-time pitcher for us, but what it's allowed us to do is keep Pauline playing first base and use her in that closing role."

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