Final Stats

RUSTON, La. - Powered by two grand slams, Louisiana Tech extended its non-conference winning streak to 12 games with a 13-8 victory over Northwestern State Tuesday evening at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.

LA Tech (24-25) put up huge numbers in two innings with eight in the second and five in the fifth to sweep the season series over Northwestern State (29-20), which plated runs in five different innings. Reliever Braden Bristo (4-2) picked up the win for the Bulldogs on the mound after coming on in the fifth and holding the Demons to a run on three hits in 3.2 innings pitched. Austin Greer started for Tech and gave up six runs - five earned - on five hits in four innings and a third. Brandon Horne closed out the ninth for the Bulldogs, while allowing one run on three hits and a strikeout.

Northwestern State sent a total of eight pitchers to the hill in Tuesday's contest, but it was starter Evan Tidwell (2-4) who was charged with the loss after allowing four Bulldog runs on four hits in 1.2 innings of work.

NSU got things going in the top of the second inning by putting up two runs on the board with Nick Heath driving in the first on a ground ball to second. The Demons extended their lead to 2-0 by taking advantage of an error by Taylor Nichols.

The Bulldogs answered with a huge second inning of their own with eight runs scored, highlighted by Zac Burger's grand slam. Jacob Derouen started off the inning with a double that bounced off the center field wall before Chandler Hall singled to score one. Bryce Stark followed that by crushing a two-run home run that bounced off the top of the scoreboard. The Bulldogs sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning to jump out to an 8-2 lead.

After a scoreless third, things picked back up in the fourth after CJ Webster drew a walk and Heath blasted a two-run homer to cut the lead to 8-4.

Cort Brinson hit a solo home run in the top of the fifth inning over the centerfield wall for the Demons to make it an 8-5 lead for the Bulldogs before Chase Daughdrill drew a walk and then scored on a single through the right side by David Fry to cut Tech's lead to 8-6.

Just as the Demons pulled within two, the 'Dogs exploded with five runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Derouen kicked off the inning with a single up the middle and Thomas Simoneaux followed it up with a bunt single down the third base line that moved Derouen to second. Chandler Hall drew a walk after being hit by a pitch and loaded the bases before Stark was issued a four-pitch walk that brought in Derouen. That's when Colby Johnson cleared the bases with a massive grand slam that hung in the pine trees in right field to extend LA Tech's lead to 13-6 after five innings.

In the top of the sixth inning, Garrett Logan drew a walk and Kwanstan Adkins singled through the right side to start a rally for the Demons. Logan and Adkins advanced on a wild pitch followed by Brinson and Daughdrill, who both drew consecutive walks to bring in Logan, but a strikeout by Bristo left the bases loaded and the score at 13-7.

After a couple of scoreless innings, the Demons fell short of a rally in the top of the ninth inning, but did plate one run to make it a 13-8 final score.

The Bulldogs pounded out 14 hits in the win with Stark, Bre'shon Kimbell, Nichols, Derouen and Simoneaux each totaling multiple-hit games. Kimbell was 3-for-5 with an RBI and run, while Stark drove in three runs with Johnson and Burger recording four RBI each with a grand slam each.

LA Tech returns to the diamond this weekend to host Marshall in the final Conference USA series of the season. The three-game set is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Thursday at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston.

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