Bats cool as Tech falls to UL-Lafayette, 9-4

RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech baseball team was outhit 11 to 7, and could not overcome three errors, dropping a 9-4 midweek decision to UL-Lafayette at J.C. Love Field in front of 2,138 – Tech’s largest home crowd of the season.

LA Tech (29-14) starter David Leal (3-3) took the loss, tossing 5.0 innings, while allowing five runs (two earned) on six hits. The southpaw did not walk a batter, and struck out five. Errors cost Leal in the first, as the left-hander made a pair of high throws on sacrifice bunt attempts, allowing the Cajuns (23-19) to tack a three spot in inning one.

The Bulldogs responded with a run in the second, after Hunter Wells scored on a FC ground out from Mason Mallard.

UL-Lafayette capitalized on another throwing error from Leal in the second, and tacked on another run after an RBI single from Daniel Lahare. The Cajun centerfielder paced the ULL offense with a 4-for-5 effort at the plate, while driving in a run, and scoring three times from the leadoff spot.

ULL starting pitcher Austin Perrin (3-5) tossed a career-high eight innings, while allowing just one run on five hits. The freshman walked one and struck out three, cooling the previously piping hot Tech offense.

After the Cajuns put a three spot up in the eighth, taking a 9-1 lead, Tech went to the bench, and saw some production from a group of pinch-hitters in the bottom of the ninth.

Shelton Wallace led off the bottom half against new pitcher Michael Leaumont, and was hit by a pitch. Steele Netterville then singled through the left side, allowing Wallace to move to third. Parker Bates then drove in Wallace with an RBI single into left. With one out, Netterville came home to score on a balk (the Cajuns’ third of the evening). Taylor Young then got in the action with a sac fly RBI into left, scoring Bates. However, the rally would end there, as the Cajuns wrapped up the season split with the Bulldogs.

Quinton Logan, Graham Ahlrich, Casey Sullivan and Josh Carpenter patched together the final four innings out of the pen for the ‘Dogs. Logan went 1.2 innings, allowing a pair of hits and a run. Ahlrich gave up a hit in a third of an inning, while Sullivan made it through two-thirds of an inning, allowing three runs on two hits. Josh Carpenter ended the game on the mound, and struck out one, while not allowing a baserunner.

With the defeat, the Bulldogs saw their win streak end at five games. Tech has now had three separate five-game win streaks in 2018, and has yet to be able to get to six.

Tech will look to bounce back out on the road again this weekend, traveling to Bowling Green, Kentucky, to take on the WKU Hilltoppers in a three-game Conference-USA series. First pitch for Friday’s contest is set for 6 p.m. CT.