April 10, 2011

Box Score

RUSTON, La. - Kyle Roliard was 3-for-5 with three runs batted in and Mike Jefferson and Caleb Dudley combined to allow just four hits as Louisiana Tech run-ruled New Mexico State, 10-0, Sunday afternoon at J.C. Love Field.

Jefferson (3-2) issued two walks in the top of the first but escaped the jam as the Aggies flied out on three occasions in the innings.

After throwing 26 pitches in the first, Jefferson settled in and took a no-hit bid into the fifth inning before Bryan Karraker singled to short with one out. Karraker was then retired by Clint Ewing after attempting to take second on a pitch in the dirt and Jefferson got out of the inning with a ground out to short.

In 6.1 innings of work, Jefferson allowed just three hits and picked up two strikeouts en route to his third win of the season.

Tech got on the board in the bottom of the first as Roliard ripped a two-out single through the right side that scored Austin Hedges.

After a leadoff double from Mark Threlkeld and a one-out line drive from Roliard that struck Aggie starter Dan Reid on his glove hand, Joey Ford smashed the first pitch that he saw from reliever Randy Montoya into the left field gap for a two-run double.

Ryan Gebhardt then drew a two-out walk and Will Alvis drove both Ford and Gebhardt in with a two-run single to right giving Jefferson a five-run cushion.

Despite leaving the game due to injury, Reid (5-1) was charged with his first loss of the season after allowing three runs on seven hits while striking out six batters in 4.1 innings of work. Montoya worked 0.2 innings and allowed two runs on two hits.

Tech then added two runs on one hit in the sixth as Justin Cooper hit Alex Williams with the bases loaded and Roliard tallied an RBI ground out to second.

With a seven-run lead after the stretch, Hedges drove in Corey White with a double to left center off of Robert Rohner. Threlkeld then ripped a single through the left side, scoring Hedges, and the Bulldogs sealed the win and a weekend split as Roliard tallied a walk-off RBI single to run-rule the Aggies.

Louisiana Tech (17-15, 2-2 WAC) will head west and begin a four-game set against Hawai'i beginning Friday evening at 11:30 p.m. CT.

Notes: Louisiana Tech is now 11-17 all-time against New Mexico State... The walk-off hit was the third of the season for Tech and the second of the season from Roliard... The two shutouts in the series marks the first time that Tech has shutout a conference opponent twice in a series since April 19-20, 1997 against UTPA... Tech posted a 2.25 staff ERA this weekend against the nation's top-ranked offensive club and held the Aggies to a .211 batting average...The 114 pitches from Jefferson marked a season-high... The three runs scored from Austin Hedges marked a career-high... The three hits by Hedges tied a career-high... Ryan Gebhardt had a career-high three walks...Mark Threlkeld has made 103 consecutive starts... Threlkeld and Kyle Roliard had three multi-hit games this weekend... Alex Williams (4), Mark Threlkeld (5) and Ryan Gebhardt (6) all extended hitting streaks.