Final Stats

Box Score: LA Tech 12, UTA 8

RUSTON, La. - Louisiana Tech is enjoying its best start to a season in five years thanks to a 12-8 series-clinching victory over UT Arlington Saturday afternoon at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston.

LA Tech moved to 5-1 on the season after coming back from a first-inning deficit to score eight unanswered runs which led to the team's 11th straight non-conference win at home. The Mavericks tacked on five runs in the top of the ninth, but the Bulldogs were able to eventually close out the victory.

Braden Bristo (1-1) settled in after struggling in the top of the first to pitch a total of 6.2 innings, including a stretch of retiring 17 straight Maverick hitters and five consecutive 1-2-3 innings from the second to the sixth. Bristo picked up the win on the mound with six strikeouts before coming off in the seventh in favor of Zack Hamilton, who pitched 1.1 innings of hitless baseball. Casey Sullivan and Mark Baughman combined to pitch the ninth inning for the Bulldogs.

Jake Wilcox was charged with the loss for UT Arlington after not making it out of the first inning with five runs allowed on three hits and a walk. Lefty Brad Vassar came on in relief with two away in the first and pitched the next 5.1 innings while giving up three runs -- two earned -- on six hits and five strikeouts. Reid Petty allowed the final four runs on three hits in the last two innings.

It was a less than ideal start for the Bulldogs when UT Arlington plated two runs in the top of the first thanks to three base hits and an error to put LA Tech in a 2-0 hole before coming to the plate.

But the Bulldogs responded in a big way by putting up a five-spot on the board in the bottom half of the first thanks to a walk, two hit batsmen and three hits, including a bases-clearing double by second baseman Chase Lunceford with the bases loaded to put LA Tech up 5-2 after one inning of play.

LA Tech added three more runs over the next five innings, while UTA scored one in the seventh to make it an 8-3 lead for the Bulldogs, but Tech broke it open in the eighth with four runs on three walks and three hits, including a two-RBI double by pinch hitter Jonathan Washam to give the Bulldogs a nine-run advantage heading to the ninth.

Three walks in the top of the ninth led to UT Arlington scoring five runs thanks to an infield single and grand slam to cut LA Tech's lead to four, but Baughman was able to close out the victory with two quick outs.

The Bulldogs totaled 12 hits on the afternoon with Brent Diaz and Lunceford leading the charge offensively for Tech. Diaz was 3-for-4 with two RBI's, while Lunceford was 2-for-4 with a double and four RBI's.

LA Tech will go for the sweep at 1 p.m. Sunday in the series finale against the Mavericks at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston.

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