By MATT DEARMAN

Sports Writer

The Tech softball team added two more wins to its recent hot streak on April 15 with 6-1 and 1-0 victories over Nicholls State University.

The double header improved the Techsters' record to 20-24 on the year (5-5 Western Athletic Conference), with seven of those wins coming in their last nine games.

"We've definitely hit the ball better lately then we had been," Tech's head coach Sarah Dawson said. "Through the second half of conference, we need to pitch well, hit well and play defense well. That's what we need to do to finish where we want to finish."

In the first game with Nicholls, Tech opened the scoring with an RBI single from Bridget Broadnax in the first inning. In the second inning, Tech's lead advanced to 2-0 following a solo home run from Ashley Cameron.

Nicholls (21-25) answered with a home run of their own in the third inning, but Tech responded by putting up two more runs in the fourth inning on an RBI double by Aimee Coleman and another home run by Cameron.

Senior ace Marla Pinkston (11-14) picked up the win for the Techsters, giving up only one earned run on four hits with four strikeouts while pitching the complete game.

In the second game, neither team was able to put much offense together, as the contest was scoreless going into the last inning. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Ashley Palma broke the tie with a two-out double off the left field fence, scoring Nikki Ducey and giving the Techsters their second win of the day.

Lindsey Meadows (3-2) got the win for Tech, allowing just four hits in the complete-game shutout.

Going into the Nicholls series, Tech was swept by the No. 7 nationally-ranked University of Louisiana-Lafayette (37-4) in a home double header on April 14.

All-American Brooke Mitchell (31-3) pitched all 14 innings for the Ragin' Cajuns and proved too much for Tech, as the Techsters managed only six hits with 19 strikeouts on the day.

Pinkston recorded a season-high 10 strikeouts for Tech in the first game, but Tech's offense could not produce runs, dropping both games by scores of 4-1.

"You have to hand it to Brooke, but I think we've seen pitching comparable to her and have done better," Dawson said. "Mentally, we weren't nearly as focused during our at bats today as we have been."

Going into the double header with UL-Lafayette, the Techsters were on a five-game winning streak, including two impressive road victories over the University of Texas-El Paso (7-37, 0-14 WAC) on April 10.

In the first contest, the Miners jumped to an early 6-0 lead in the second inning, but Tech battled back slowly, scoring one run in the third, three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth to tie the game at six.

In the sixth inning, Tech's bats came alive, as the Techsters scored six runs in the inning to secure the victory, as the score would remain 12-6 through the end of the game.

Tech's offense exploded for 14 hits in the contest, led by Broadnax, Kristin Blodgette and Mary Cohn, who recorded three hits each.

Tech had another explosive inning in the second game, when they scored six runs in the fourth inning to break a 2-2 tie. UTEP scored two more runs in the game, but Tech's defense stood firm down the stretch, as the Techsters won the game 8-4 in the fifth inning when the game was called due to darkness.

Tech's offense recorded 12 hits in the game, with Miles, Stanley, Broadnax, Cohn and Blodgette recording two hits each.

Blodgette (3-3) earned the win for Tech, allowing three runs (one earned) with three strikeouts in four innings before being relieved by Meadows in the fifth inning.