LA Tech sweeps season series with Northwestern State

NATCHITOCHES, La. – Louisiana Tech held on to beat Northwestern State 4-3 on Wednesday night at Brown-Stroud Field behind strong pitching and timely hitting.

The Bulldogs (32-15, 14-7 C-USA) opened up the scoring in the top of the first. Philip Matulia recorded the first hit as he drove his 15th double of the year to the left center field gap and Steele Netterville connected with the first pitch he saw for his 12th home run of the year. Netterville recorded his 200th career RBI on this two-run homer.

Both squads were held scoreless until the Demons (21-23, 9-9 Southland) evened the score 2-2 in the bottom of the fifth. An error led to an RBI single from Jake Haze and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Daunte Stuart.

Jarret Whorff made the start in this one tossing five innings allowing two runs, neither were earned, four hits and struck out six. The right-hander was strong in his 10th start of the season, working out of jams in the third and fourth inning. Whorff left the game with a tie game.

Jonathan Fincher and Tanner Knight combined for three innings out of the pen, facing nine batters and retiring all nine of them. Fincher threw the sixth inning with one strikeout and Knight tossed the seventh and eighth racking up three punchouts.

In the top of the eighth, LA Tech jumped back on top thanks to a throwing error and Jorge Corona drove in Netterville on a sacrifice fly to right field taking a 3-2 lead.

Matulia drove a rocket off the first baseman’s glove bringing home the fourth Bulldog run, taking a 4-2 lead in the ninth.

Kyle Crigger came on for his 26th appearance in the bottom of the ninth looking for his 10th save. The Demons brought traffic doubling twice off the Bulldog closer bringing home a run cutting the deficit to 4-3. With two on and the winning run on second base, Crigger recorded a strikeout and a six-to-three groundout to close it out.

NOTABLES
• Bulldogs have won four-straight
• Bulldogs move to 12-9 on the road
• Netterville goes 2-for-3 with a two-run homer (12); extends on-base streak to 19
• Netterville tallies 200th career RBI on the home run
• Matulia goes 2-for-3 recording his 15th multi-hit game
• McLeod extends hit streak to seven with a single to right
• Wade Elliott 1-for-1 pinch-hit single
• Crigger earns 10th save in his 26th appearance
• The Bulldog pitching staff struck out 12

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Lane Burroughs

“They did the same thing against us in the ninth against Crigger last time we faced those guys. They seemed to have had his number both times, loading up the bases. He pitched last night and then on Saturday and Sunday he had six out saves. When he comes into the game it is already stressful enough. He is a competitor.”

“What an incredible job by Whorff. We didn’t make the play at second, otherwise he tosses a shut-out. But our games stayed composed and battled back. Steele had the big homer in the first. Phil did a great job on their lefty after striking out, the next at-bat hit a ball hard off their first baseman. I couldn’t be more proud of our guys for holding the rope.”

“Tanner Knight was phenomenal in the six outs he got. The ball was exploding out of his hand. He also went through the top of their order which is really tough their in the eighth inning.”

UP NEXT
LA Tech is back home for a conference series against the Owls of Florida Atlantic beginning Friday at 6 p.m.

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