BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - A seven-run slugfest in the fourth inning drove No. 2 Louisiana Tech past No. 6 Middle Tennessee 10-0 in five innings in the last quarterfinal matchup of the 2019 Air Force Reserve Conference USA Softball Championship Thursday night. The Lady Techsters advance to meet No. 4 Marshall in the semifinals, now set for 9 a.m. CT Friday due to impending inclement weather.

Bracket
Box Score
Championship Stats
Overall Stats

The 2019 C-USA Regular-Season Co-Champion powered 12 hits with five coming in an eventful fourth frame. Already ahead 3-0, the Louisiana Tech (42-14) offense ran through three Middle Tennessee (29-27) arms to string together seven runs in the final inning. The Blue Raiders drop to the loser's bracket to face No. 1 North Texas at 11 a.m. Friday.

2019 C-USA Freshman of the Year Lindsay Edwards went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs. Leadoff hitter Kimmie Atienza went 3-for-4 with a run and two RBI and C-USA Player of the Year Jazlyn Crowder swung a pair of hits, including a home run, in four plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.

First-Team All-C-USA selection Krystal De La Cruz commanded the circle for the Techsters, allowing just two hits and three strikeouts in five innings. Freshman Kailey Ahlstrom earned the loss in her third tournament game pitched. Kirstyn Cuccia and Claire Smith were the lone hits on the night for Middle Tennessee.

Crowder blew the cover off of a 2-2 pitch far past the left-center fence and Morgan Turkoly singled up the middle to hang an early lead for the Lady Techsters in the bottom of the first. Edwards and Bayli Simon knocked a pair of base hits and Mary Terral walked to load up the bases with two away, though Ahlstrom would pitch into a fly foul out to leave them all stranded.

Edwards later had the opportunity to cross the plate on Terral's sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the third inning to send the Techsters up 3-0. Louisiana Tech scratched the scoreboard again in the fourth with a trio of runs as Crowder reached on a throwing error to score Atienza, who led things off with a single in first at-bat of the half. Crowder wasn't left on the base path for long though as Sloane Stewartson smashed her fourth homer of the season to string together another two runs and stretch the deficit 6-0.

The Lady Techsters reached run-rule territory a couple of at-bats later when an Edwards single and Terral walk were plated on a two-RBI single from catcher Marilyn Rizzato. Atienza later smacked a two-out, two-RBI double to close out Tech's offensive outburst in the inning.

Game 5: (4) Marshall 1, (1) North Texas 0
No. 4 Marshall pulled off the upset bid against No. 1 North Texas, 1-0 behind Abigail Tolbert's complete-game shutout Thursday in the quarterfinal round of the 2019 Air Force Reserve Conference USA Softball Championship.

Box Score

The Thundering Herd (38-18) secured a spot in Friday's 12 p.m. semifinal and awaits the winner of No. 2 Louisiana Tech and No. 6 Middle Tennessee. The Thundering Herd improved to 6-4 all-time against North Texas in its first meeting since 2016 and will appear in the C-USA semis for the first time since 2017, though the squad will be on the hunt for its first win in the round since 2014. North Texas (34-18) will fight for its postseason life in the elimination bracket beginning Friday. The Mean Green will face the loser of the Lady Techsters and Blue Raiders at 2:30 p.m.

Tolbert was masterful through all seven frames Marshall. The senior pitched her 25th win of the year after tossing just five hits and falling one strikeout shy of her season and career high (9). Marshall swung four hits on the day with Mya Stevenson's RBI double in the third inning being the deciding factor.

The North Texas offense produced five hits with catcher Nicole Ochotnicki going 2-for-3. Hope Trautwein received her seventh loss of the season through seven innings. She struck out four without committing a single walk.