LA Tech holds off UAB rally, 7-6

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Louisiana Tech baseball team held off a late-charging UAB squad, and took a 7-6 victory on Saturday afternoon from Regions Field.

Tech (18-7, 4-1 C-USA) evened up the series with the Blazers (10-11, 3-2 C-USA), setting up a crucial rubber match tomorrow at 1 p.m.

“I was very proud with the way our guys came out of the gate today,” head coach Lane Burroughs said. “We scored a couple runs there in the first, and were doing some small ball things – getting our runners in motion and hitting and running early and often. I thought our guys did a tremendous job of scratching and getting on the board so we could breathe a bit.”

Tech designated hitter Hunter Wells paced the offense, going 4-for-5 at the plate with a pair of RBI and two runs scored. Mason Robinson added a pair of RBI on a 2-for-3 effort, while Mason Mallard (3-for-4, two runs) and Parker Bates (2-for-4, one RBI) also notched multiple-hit efforts.

Tech starter Logan Robbins (5-0) went seven innings, giving up six hits, four runs (all earned) and three strikeouts along with three walks. Robbins cruised through the first three innings, giving up a walk in the first, and then sitting down eight consecutive Blazers.

“I’m very proud of Logan (Robbins)”, Burroughs added. “He pitched well despite not having electric stuff today. He gave us another quality start and gave us a chance to win.”

UAB got to Robbins in the seventh, tagging the lefty for three runs on four hits. The southpaw buckled down, however, and ended his afternoon with an emphatic swinging strikeout. Tech improved to 6-0 in games started by Robbins this season.

After being stymied for no runs on just four hits on Friday night, the Tech offense wasted no time in getting some early runs for Robbins. Leadoff man Hunter Wells lined the very first pitch of the game into left for a single, and came home to score on an infield hit from Mason Mallard, followed by an ensuing throwing error by the UAB pitcher, Ryan Ruggles. Mallard then came home to score on an RBI single for Mason Robinson. Following the flurry of activity, Robbins owned a 2-0 lead before even having to step on the mound.

Tech tacked on a run in the third after a sac fly from Bates brought home Mallard, who led off the inning with a double, and then moved to third after a Robinson single.

Leading 3-1, UAB starter Ryan Ruggles (0-1) worked around some traffic in the fifth, before the Bulldogs blew up for a four spot in the sixth.

Tech first baseman Graham Hackbarth, the only Birmingham native on the team, led things off with an apparent infield single that was scored an error on the pitcher Ruggles. Jonathan Parker then drove a single into center, bringing up Wells, who wasted no time in tripling to deep left center field, scoring both Hackbarth and Parker, and putting Tech ahead 5-1. Shortstop Dalton Skelton then walked, extending his reached-base streak to 20 games.

Then, the only Bulldog with a longer streak of getting on base, in Tanner Huddleston, blooped a Texas-leaguer just over the UAB second baseman, scoring Wells from third. Robinson capped off the four-run inning with a sac fly to right field, scoring Skelton.

However, the Blazers rallied for three runs off Robbins in the seventh, and drew to within three, at 7-4. Senior Graham Ahlrich entered in the eighth, and allowed a hit and a run, but secured two big outs, and worked around an error.

Burroughs then called on junior Braxton Smith, who induced a groundout to second, ending the inning.

Smith came back out for the ninth, with a two-run lead, looking to nail down the four-out save, and ran into some trouble. The Blazers used back-to-back-to-back singles with two outs to tack on a run, cutting the Tech lead to just one. The with runners at the corners and the winning run on first, Smith put out the fire and induced a lazy fly ball to Robinson in the left, locking down Smith’s fourth save of 2018.

The two teams return to action in the series finale tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. Dave Nitz will have the call on 97.7 FM, and the game can be streamed live with a subscription to CUSA.tv.