Tech’s 2019 baseball season ends in Biloxi with 4-3 loss to Rice

BILOXI, Miss. – The Louisiana Tech baseball team fell in the first elimination game of the Conference USA Tournament, dropping a 4-3 decision to the Rice Owls on Thursday morning from MGM Park.

LA Tech wrapped up the 2019 season with a 34-24 overall record and a 17-13 mark in C-USA regular-season play.

Against the Owls, Tech saw a solid start from senior LHP David Leal (4-2) – who gave the pitching staff exactly what it needed most – innings. A day after Tech needed six pitchers to navigate through Marshall, Leal tossed his third complete game across his last four starts, despite being the unfortunate losing pitcher in Thursday’s contest.

The senior went 8.0 innings, allowing four runs (all earned) while striking out eight and walked just one.

Meanwhile, the Tech bats went quiet against Rice starter Evan Kravetz, who limited the Bulldogs to just one run on one hit. Kravetz did give up four walks while striking out five.

The Bulldogs plated one run in the top of the third, after Chris Clayton led off the inning with a walk, and then moved to third on a double to left from Hunter Wells. Then with one out, Young was robbed of a base hit by a nice diving stop in right field, but his flyout was deep enough to score Clayton from third, cutting the Rice lead to 2-1 after the sac fly.

With the ‘Dogs facing a 4-1 deficit in the seventh, Tech got to the Rice bullpen, placing the first two batters of the frame on the corners after a leadoff double from Steele Netterville followed by a single from Mason Robinson.

Rice reliever Jackson Parthasarthy was then called for a balk, plating the second Tech run of the day, and then Robinson came in to score after a Hunter Wells RBI groundout.

Leal held the Owls scoreless over the final two frames, but the Bulldogs were unable to capitalize off reliever Dalton Wood, who pitched the final 2.1 innings, and did not allow a hit.

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