LA Tech rolls to run rule win over Marshall to take conference series

RUSTON, La. – The No. 21 Louisiana Tech baseball team plated five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning, capturing a seven-inning, 11-1 run-rule victory over the visiting Marshall Thundering Herd on Saturday morning in front of 1,103 at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.

The Bulldogs (27-12, 12-6 C-USA) captured their fifth consecutive Conference-USA series win, and improved to 10-2 in the month of April following the series-clinching Saturday victory.

“I’m so proud of our guys for how they played this weekend,” head coach Lane Burroughs said. “I love the way we bounced back after Thursday, and that’s exactly what championship teams do. It’s great to score 30 runs over the final two games and take this series win into the Easter break.”

LA Tech received arguably the best start of the year from starter Logan Bailey. The southpaw pitched into the seventh inning for the second time this season, while allowing just one earned run on a solo shot in the first inning. After the first, Bailey locked in, and breezed through the Marshall order, allowing just five hits over the next five innings. The Hallsville, Texas, native tied his career high with nine strikeouts, while walking just one across a season-high 126 pitches.

Meanwhile, the Tech offense got some early support for their left-hander, plating three in the bottom of the first off Marshall (22-17, 9-9 C-USA) starter Robert Kwiatkowski. With two outs, both Mason Mallard (HBP) and Parker Bates (walk) worked free passes, before the reigning C-USA Hitter of the Week in Tanner Huddleston, who took the first pitch he saw deep over the fence in left center field for a three-run blast, giving Tech its first lead of the day at 3-1.

Bailey posted scoreless shutdown frames in the second, third and fourth innings before the Tech offense gave him some extra cushion in the bottom of the fourth via a two-RBI double from Steele Netterville, plated both Huddleston and Mason Robinson, who led off the inning with consecutive walks.

With a four-run cushion behind him, Bailey posted a scoreless fifth, before Parker Bates lined his team leading 41st RBI via a single to right, extending the Tech edge to 6-1.

Bailey pitched into the seventh inning, before running into some trouble as Marshall placed runners at the corners with two outs. Right-hander Tyler Follis entered in relief of the Tech starter, and induced a weak popout to second base, stranding both runners.

In the bottom of the 7th, Tech again brought some more two-out magic to the lineup, propelled by a pair of two-RBI knocks from Chris Clayton and Seth White. Clayton pushed the Tech lead to 8-1 with a two-RBI double to left center, followed shortly thereafter by a two-RBI triple off the wall in left from White. Then, Hunter Wells walked things off, beating out an infield chopper back to the mound, allowing White to come home from third, giving Tech the run-rule victory.

The Bulldogs walked 25 times as a team over the three-game set, while Tech pitching combined to issue just seven walks to Marshall hitters.

Tech will return to action with a pair of midweeks next week, first hosting Littler Rock on Tuesday, before heading to Lake Charles to take on McNeese on Wednesday.