Wells cycles, Bailey deals, as LA Tech defeats UTSA, 13-0

SAN ANTONIO – The No. 22 Louisiana Tech baseball team saw sophomore leadoff man Hunter Wells hit for the cycle, while junior starting pitcher Logan Bailey tossed seven shutout innings, en route to a 13-0 seven-inning run-rule victory over the UTSA Roadrunners on Sunday afternoon from Roadrunner Ballpark.

The win for LA Tech (24-10, 9-3 C-USA) clinched the weekend series, and marked the fourth-consecutive Conference-USA series win for the Bulldogs. Tech continues to lead the league with a mark of 9-3 in conference action.

Wells was dynamic at the leadoff spot in Sunday’s triumph. The Katy, Texas, native led off the game with a first-pitch single the opposite way to left field. Then, after flying out in the third, Wells came back with a one-out triple scorched down the first-base line in the top of the fifth. Wells would come home to score on a Tanner Huddleston single into right-center, extending Tech’s lead to 4-0.

In the top of the seventh, Wells led off the inning with a double down the right field line. The Tech offense would explode after that, as Dalton Skelton, Parker Bates and Chris Clayton all notched RBI base knocks in the frame.

With five runs already on the board in the inning, and Tech leading 10-0, Wells came to the plate as the 10th batter of the inning, needing a home run to complete the cycle. The Tyler JC transfer took a first pitch ball and fouled off a pitch before crushing a three-run no-doubt home run to right centerfield, completing the rare feat and giving Tech a 13-0 lead.

“That kid just flat out knows how to hit,” head coach Lane Burroughs said. “He has a way of getting the barrel to the baseball, and that’s one of those things you can’t teach. He’s just a really good hitter, and he showed out today. His family was here today and it was great for them to be able to see that.”

Tech starter Logan Bailey (5-1) worked with pinpoint precision throughout the series finale, working quickly and consistently staying ahead in counts. The Hallsville, Texas, native lowered his season ERA to 1.79, while scattering just six hits and striking out six of the 28 batters he faced. Bailey’s seven-inning complete game pushed his season total of innings pitched to 45.1.

Bailey worked out of very few jams, but faced one significant threat in the bottom of the sixth. The UTSA cleanup man in Ben Brookover led off with a single to left, followed by a double to center from Dylan Rock. With the Roadrunners threatening in a 5-0 ballgame, Bailey buckled down and got a groundout, a strikeout and a flyout, stranding both runners in scoring position, and crushing any chance of an attempted comeback.

The shutout marked the second-consecutive scoreless outing for the left-hander, after tossing six innings of shutout baseball against FIU last Sunday.

“He (Bailey) was great for the second weekend in a row,” Burroughs noted. “His breaking ball was outstanding today. His command was good, and he worked both sides of the plate with his fastball. That’s where it starts and ends – on the mound. I’m very proud of him, and what he was able to do today.”

All four of Tech’s primary four starters (Matt Miller, eight starts, 46.0 IP, Logan Robbins, eight starts, 49.0 IP, Bailey, eight starts, 45.1 IP and David Leal, seven starts, 49.0 IP) have tossed at least 45 innings, while pacing the team to a league-best 2.33 ERA.

The Tech bats were at their best in Sunday’s win, as the team tied a season-high in runs, and saw seven different players register at least one RBI in the total team effort.

Sophomore Parker Bates went 2-for-4 at the dish and tied a career high with three RBI.

Freshman Taylor Young launched his first-career home run on a no-doubt blast into left field in the top of the sixth.

Catcher Chris Clayton added a pair of RBI on a single through the left side in the seventh, while first baseman Cole Warken played well in his first start since early in the season, going 1-for-4 with a big two-RBI double, that gave Tech an early 3-0 lead in the fourth.

Skelton (2-for-3), Mason Mallard (1-for-4), Huddleston (1-for-3) and Mason Robinson (1-for-3) all added base knocks, as every player in the Tech lineup recorded at least one hit.

The Bulldogs return to action this Tuesday, travelling to Baton Rouge, La. to take on the LSU Tigers (20-12, 6-6 C-USA). First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised live on SEC Network+ and streamed through the WatchESPN app.