Tech wins Sunday slugfest over USM, 18-11

RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech picked a game three win over Southern Miss on Sunday in a slugfest, 18-11.

Southern Miss jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first following a Slade Wilks RBI single to left, scoring Nick Moniestere. Tech responded with a Cole McConnell home run to center field to make it a tie game.

In the top of the second inning, Southern Miss scored four runs from an Ozzie Pratt grand slam, making the lead 5-1. Tech fought back into the game with a Jorge Corona RBI double to left field, an Adarius Myers RBI walk, and Ethan Bates with Kasten Furr scored, making the game 5-4 in the bottom of the third.

Tech scorched Southern Miss with eight runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Ethan Bates (2-for-6, 2 2B, 5 RBI) had a 2 RBI double to left, scoring Dalton Davis and Cole McConnell. Bates scored on a passed ball, increasing Tech’s lead 7-5. Junior Will Safford earned an RBI single, while Kasten Furr earned a RBI after being hit by a pitch at the plate. Cole McConnell (3-for-6, 5 RBI, 1 HR) singled to right, giving him two RBI and Louisiana Tech an 11-5 lead. Bates picked up another RBI after being hit by a pitch at the plate in the bottom of the fourth.

Southern Miss scored four runs in the top of the fifth, cutting Tech’s lead to 12-9. The Beaumont, Texas native, Cole McConnell hit another single in the bottom of the fifth, scoring Will Safford and Michael Ballard and making the game 14-9. Senior Adarius Myers earned a two-RBI single at the plate, scoring Ethan Bates and Jorge Corona (4-for-7, 1 RBI, 1 2B).

The Golden Eagles scored two more runs in the top of the eight after Seth Smith singled, scoring two runs. Ethan Bates doubled again in the bottom of the eighth, giving Tech two more runs and a lead of 18-11.

Quotables
Head coach Lane Burroughs
“Huge win for us especially after the way we got beat the last two nights. We showed a ton of character makeup today, coming out and beating a good team. Coach Gaspard challenged our older hitters today, and they all stepped up.”

UP NEXT
Louisiana Tech will travel down to Natchitoches to face Northwestern State on Tuesday, March 12, 2024. The first pitch for Tuesday’s game will be at 6 p.m.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Baseball, follow us on Twitter (@LATechBSB), Instagram (@LATechBSB), and Facebook (LATechBSB).