Louisiana Tech wins C-USA Tournament in walk-off fashion

HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Bulldogs right fielder Steele Netterville ripped a single down the first-base line to bring pinch runner Riggs Easterling home from third for the winning run as No. 2 seed Louisiana Tech defeated No. 5 seed UTSA in walk-off fashion, 9-8, to win the 2022 C-USA Baseball Championship title on Sunday afternoon at Pete Taylor Park.

With the victory, Louisiana Tech (42-19) claimed C-USA’s automatic bid to the NCAA Baseball Championship and its first postseason conference title since 1987 when the Bulldogs won a best-of-five series over Lamar while members of the Southland Conference.

UTSA (38-20), meanwhile, joins other C-USA hopefuls who will learn of their postseason fates with potential destination and opponents when the NCAA Selection Show airs on ESPN2 on Monday at 11 a.m. (CDT).

Louisiana Tech held an 8-7 advantage heading into the ninth and brought in star reliever Kyle Crigger to close the door. UTSA, however, refused to go away quietly as first baseman Ryan Flores hammered the first pitch Crigger delivered to the plate high over the wall in right central to tie things up at 8-8.

Roadrunners reliever Braylon Owens, who wiggled his way out of a runner at third and nobody out situation in the bottom of the eighth, pitched himself into a jam in the ninth as he allowed a leadoff single to Louisiana Tech third baseman Logan McLeod.

Second baseman Wade Elliott followed with a sacrifice bunt to move Easterling – who replaced McLeod on the basepaths – into scoring position, and UTSA decided to intentionally walk third baseman Taylor Young to set up a potential double play. Both runners advanced 90 feet on a wild pitch, and Owens followed with a strikeout to get within an out of getting out of the inning unscathed.

Netterville, however, turned on a 2-2 offering during the ensuing at-bat that got past a Flores at first to spark the Bulldogs’ celebration.

IN WALK-OFF FASHION, @LATechBSB IS THE 2022 @ConferenceUSA BASEBALL CHAMPION 🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/5YoBUe0ocA

— CBS Sports Network (@CBSSportsNet) May 29, 2022

Young was named Russell D. Anderson MVP after going a combined 9-for-21 (.429) with a double, a home run and a team-best six RBI for the week. Netterville, McLeod and centerfielder Cole McConnell headlined Louisiana Tech’s nine-hit performance with two apiece.

The hotly contested contest was all Louisiana Tech early on as the Bulldogs plated two in the first on an RBI-double by McConnell and a run-scoring groundout by catcher Jorge Corona, and added a run in the third when Corona scored from third on a wild pitch. UTSA came storming back in the top of the fourth, though, as the first three batters reached safely to load the bases, designated hitter Garrett Poston followed with a two-run double before shortstop Matt King and third baseman Jonathan Tapia followed with RBI-groundouts to stake the Roadrunners to a 4-3 advantage.

UTSA added a run in the sxith on an RBI-single by centerfielder Shane Sirdashney only to see Louisiana Tech answer in the bottom of the frame as Netterville rippled a two-run double down the left field line and Corona lifted a sacrifice fly to center. The wild ballgame continued in the seventh when UTSA left fielder Chase Keng crushed a two-run homer over the wall in left, but the Bulldogs plated a pair of unearned runs in the home half of the stanza and set the stage for the game-deciding ninth.

The two teams combined to use 13 pitchers, and Crigger (6-2) picked up the victory after giving up the homer to go with a walk and a strikeout in his lone inning on the bump. Owens (3-2) was saddled with the loss after giving up a run on three hits and a walk while fanning three in 1.2 innings out of the bullpen.

QUOTABLES
LA Tech head coach Lane Burroughs

UP NEXT
We will host a public selection show watch party at the Davison Athletics Complex at 11 a.m. with doors opening at 10:30 a.m.

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