Boxscore

RUSTON, La. ? The Louisiana Tech baseball team got back on the right side of the win column with a 3-2 win over UL-Monroe on Friday night. In front of a packed house at J.C. Love Field, the Bulldogs used a late home run and pitching miscue to win the game 3-2.

ULM (5-2) scored two runs in the first inning off a home run by Bo Bowman. Tech (11-4) came back with one run of its own in the bottom half of the inning, and both teams remained scoreless until the sixth.

After pitcher Luke Burnett struck out the side three-up-three-down in the top of the sixth, the Bulldogs were riding some momentum into the bottom half. Adam Cobb grounded out to second base after ULM?s Kyle Suire made one of many diving plays in the gap. Jericho Jones followed with a hard-hit line out to third. With Brian Rike at the plate, he worked ahead in the count 2-0, and coach Wade Simoneaux called timeout.

?I called timeout because we two quick outs,? Simoneaux said. ?With a 2-0 count I told Rike the next pitch was going to be a fastball and I wanted him to hit it over the scoreboard. The next pitch was in, but he took the one after that over.?

Rike followed Simoneaux?s instructions and hit a homer over the scoreboard to tie the game at two runs apiece. From there, Tech?s pitching continued to shutdown the Warhawks.

Burnett finished the seventh, and Andrew Alsup finished the game throwing the last two innings for the win. The winning run came in the eighth in a high intensity moment.

ULM brought in A.J. Ford to pitch in the seventh, and pitched out of a jam in the inning after Tech?s first two batters walked. In the eighth, Ford ran into some trouble again but could not escape. Jones reached on a wild pitch after striking out. With two outs Brandon Hudson lined a single off the wall in center field then stole second base.

Ford was behind in the count to Chris Kersten with two runners in scoring position, and balked to bring in the go-ahead run for Tech. That one run was all the Bulldogs would need as Alsup threw a perfect ninth inning to seal the win.

Simoneaux said he was excited to win a game that was neck and neck the whole way.

?That was a hard fought ballgame,? Simoneaux said. ?It was a good ballgame for the fans I?m sure. It was a hard fought win and good pitching on both sides all night.?

ULM?s starter Bucky Chandler allowed just three hits and two runs in six innings of work. He walked one and struck out four. Burnett threw seven innings and gave up two runs on two hits while striking out nine.

The two teams face again Saturday in Monroe at 6 p.m. Tech will throw Ryan Rupert, and the Warhawks will bring Southpaw Keith Christensen.

?We?re getting what we need to be a better team on Saturday with them throwing a lefty,? Simoneaux said. ?Lefties have given us trouble no doubt, and we?re going to figure it out tomorrow.?

To follow the game from your computer click on the live stats link on the baseball team?s home page at latechsports.com.