LA Tech takes pair Saturday from Northern Colorado

Ruston, La. – Louisiana Tech takes series against Northern Colorado after beating the Bears 3-2 in game two and 5-3 in game three of a four-game series.

Game 1
The Bulldogs (3-0) took game one 3-2 in a 13-inning pitcher duel between the Bears (0-3). The Bears scored first in the top of the third inning after a Jake King single RBI scoring Jackson Romero. UNC extended its lead to 2-0 in the top of the fourth inning when a double play led Kai Wagner to score.

Tech fought back and tied the game up in the bottom of the eighth, following doubles from Seniors Logan McLeod and Ethan Bates. Bates continued his 25-game on-base reach streak with the double. First basemen Dalton Davis added to his current hitting streak and on-base reach, with both streaks at 12. Diamonds Dog wrapped up the game in the 12th inning with bases loaded and a throwing error by Northern Colorado that led to senior Dalton Davis scoring the game-winning run.

Louisiana Tech would be lights out on the mound, putting up ten strikeouts. Sam Brodersen, the official D-1 start for him, produced six strikeouts and one walk. Brodersen went 4.1 innings in his first relief appearance of the season and earned a relief win. Wingate, transfer Brodersen, gave up his only walk in the top of the 12 inning to Kai Wagner. Jefferson College transfer Luke Nichols gave up four hits, four strikeouts, and just one walk in his first start.

Game 2
Tech in game two came out hot, with an Ethan Bates two-run homer to right field. Bates added on to his on-base streak to 26. Northern Colorado, Kai Wagner cut the lead to 2-1 after a home run to center field in the fourth inning. A Thaxton Berch single added an extra run to Tech’s lead (3-1), and Michael Ballard scored a run in the fourth inning. The Bears, Garrett Fisher chalked up a run coming from a home run to left field in the fifth inning.

Diamond Dogs followed with Dalton Davis’s single, which later caused him to score. Davis turned 12 games on-base reached and hitting streak into 13 after that single. Redshirt-Freshmen Grant Comeaux grew Louisiana Tech’s lead to two from a single to third base. Northern Colorado would keep clawing into Louisiana Tech’s lead (4-3) from Zain Zinicola’s RBI single, forcing Carson Gross to score. Catcher Karson helped out the Bulldogs by hitting a double, which scored two runs in the lead 5-3 in the sixth inning.

Turner Swistak’s first start of the year came with a career-high eight strikeout, allowing only three hits and earned runs. Swistak faced 18 batters on the day and went 4.2 innings while picking up his first win. Ryan Harland and Ethan Bates saw action on the mound for Louisiana Tech on Saturday. Harland only faced one batter, which that batter lined out to second base. Bates picked up save one behind a four-strikeout, two walks, and one hit day. Utility player Bates went for 2.0 innings pitched and faced ten batters.

Next Up
The Bulldogs are back in action tomorrow when they play Northern Colorado at 1 p.m. to close out the four-game home opening weekend.

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