No. 21 LA Tech storms back to defeat ULM 9-7

RUSTON, La. – No. 21 Louisiana Tech used a seventh-inning rally to defeat ULM 9-7 on Tuesday night at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park. The Bulldogs came from behind in their second consecutive game to extend their winning streak to six in-a-row.

LA Tech (14-5) fell behind for the first time in Tuesday’s ballgame after ULM first baseman Danny DeSimone tallied a three-run homer to left center, giving the Warhawks a 7-6 lead in the top of the seventh. ULM (9-8) had stormed back from three-run deficits twice to take the lead late in the game.

For the second straight inning, however, the Diamond Dogs answered ULM’s scoring from the top half of the frame. After ULM reliever Carson Orton retired the first two Bulldogs to open Tech’s at-bat, Bulldog catcher Kyle Hasler shot a two-out single up the middle to ignite the LA Tech rally.

Shortstop Alex Ray then worked a walk on a full count, bringing up leadoff batter Taylor Young to deliver the hit of the night. Young, who already had two hits on the night, drove a 2-2 pitch off the wall in center field for a two-RBI double, bringing home Ray and Hasler to put Tech back in front at 8-7. LA Tech then added an insurance run when two-hole hitter Hunter Wells notched a two-out single to make it 9-7 Diamond Dogs after seven innings.

“I couldn’t be prouder of Taylor for coming up with the big double,” head coach Lane Burroughs said. “Big-time players step up in big moments.

“I’m proud of our guys for getting it done tonight.”

After right-hander Tyler Follis earned the final out of the seventh inning and the first out of the eighth, dependable left-hander Kyle Griffen nailed down the final five outs for the Bulldogs to earn his first save of the season. Centerfielder Parker Bates made the play of the night in the ninth inning, throwing out ULM’s DeSimone at home plate with an absolute dart to the dish. DeSimone had reached earlier in the inning on a dropped fly ball, but Bates’ throw erased the error, setting up Griffen to get the final two outs via a pair of flyouts.

The No. 21 Bulldogs once again struck first in Tuesday’s game, making them six for six in scoring first during their current six-game winning streak. Tech scored both of its runs in the first inning without recording a hit, using a sacrifice fly from cleanup batter Steele Netterville to go ahead 1-0 before a wild pitch scored Wells from third to double the home team’s advantage.

The Bulldogs added their third run behind a bases-loaded walk from Wells, bringing home Hasler from third to make it 3-0. ULM and Tech traded runs in the fourth to push the score to 4-1 entering the fifth. The Warhawks then scored three straight runs between team at-bats in the fifth and sixth to knot the game at 4-4.

Just one inning prior to Young’s double off the center-field wall, the second baseman delivered another clutch two-bagger, driving in Ray to give LA Tech a 5-4 advantage in the sixth. Bates then dropped in a single to left field to score Young from second, pushing the Bulldogs’ lead to two runs at 6-4.

No. 21 LA Tech and ULM combined to use 12 different pitchers in the lengthy Tuesday night contest. Tech starting pitcher Cade Gibson allowed just three hits and no walks over three innings on the mound. Left-hander Nick Ellis tossed 2.2 frames on the mound, which included entering the game in a bases-loaded situation in the top of the fourth and striking out back-to-back Warhawks on three pitches to end the ULM threat.

Follis earned his first pitching victory of 2021 on Tuesday night. The right-hander earns his first pitching win of the season just two days after nailing down his first save of 2021 at Tulane on Sunday.

Young finished the night 3-for-4 with a team-high two doubles, three runs scored and three RBI. Wells ranked second on the Bulldog roster with two RBI of his own.

With Griffen’s outing on Tuesday night, he moves into second place all-time in career pitching appearances in program history at 79. Griffen has logged 16 wins and three saves during his time in a LA Tech uniform.

The Bulldogs will open Conference USA play at Southern Miss (13-6) on Friday at 6 p.m. The Diamond Dogs will put their six-game winning streak up against the Golden Eagles’ four-game winning streak over the weekend at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.