LA Tech blanks Sam Houston State, 7-0

RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech baseball team saw a strong start from junior left-hander Kyle Griffen and capitalized on a seven-run sixth inning en route to a 7-0 triumph over the visiting Sam Houston State Bearkats on Tuesday evening in front of 1,074 from J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.

Griffen (3-2) pitched six innings of shutout ball, scattering eight hits. The southpaw was in command of the strike zone and did not walk or hit a batter. Griffen was charged with pair of errors, but was able to work through some base traffic and keep Tech’s first shutout of the season intact.

“We couldn’t be more proud of Kyle Griffen tonight, head coach Lane Burroughs said. “His second quality start in a row, and that was huge for us. It was good to see Tyler Follis back out on the mound. The ball was exploding out of his hand. Quinton (Logan) was good in his inning, and Braxton (Smith) was great there at the end with his three punch outs. Just an outstanding combined effort from those guys. I thought we took some good swings and I’m proud of our hitters for opening it up there in that big inning.”

The Bulldog (11-5) offense was stymied through the first five innings, as starter Will Duncan, reliever Dominic Robinson and reliever James Kuykendall combined to allow just three hits over the first five scoreless innings of baseball.

After Griffen made it through the sixth unscathed, Parker Bates led off the bottom half after an HBP from new pitcher, Brad Demco (1-1).

Demco was immediately lifted, giving way to the fifth Bearkat (10-4) pitcher of the evening in Riley Gossett. Mason Mallard immediately singled through the left side, and then Seth White, who entered the game for Steele Netterville in the top of the fifth, pounded a ball deep to right field. The ball tailed away from the right fielder and bounced off the wall. Bates and Mallard both had to hold to see if the sky-high single would be caught, and then both were caught in no-man’s land around third base. Bates was able to evade the pickle and slide past the tag at home for the first run of the game.

Then, with Mallard and White now at second and third, Shelton Wallace lined out to center, but deep enough to easily score the fleet-footed Mallard from third, giving Tech a 2-0 lead.

With the 2-0 edge, the Tech bats came alive as Manny Garcia notched his third hit of the night, an RBI double to right. Mason Robinson followed with an RBI triple of his own, immediately followed by a Tanner Huddleston single back up the middle. Bates, who led off the inning with the HBP, put the icing on the cake with a two-run double laced down the right field line.

When the dust cleared, the Bulldogs found themselves on the right end of a 7-0 lead, heading into the seventh inning.

Tech has now outscored its opponents, 47-15 over the course of the 5th and 6th innings this season.

With a comfortable lead, Tech got one inning of relief each from Tyler Follis (0 hits, 1 K) Quinton Logan (0 hits) before Braxton Smith emphatically struck out the side, preserving Tech’s first shutout of the season.

Garcia led the way for the Bulldogs with a 3-for4 night at the plate with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored. Mason Mallard added a pair of base knocks and a run scored, while Bates led the way with his two-RBI double.

The Bulldogs and Bearkats will play the second leg of these two midweek games tomorrow at 3 p.m. (weather permitting). Be sure to tune into LATechSports.com and follow @LATechBSB on Twitter for all weather-related updates.