Final Stats

Box Score: LA Tech 6, FIU 1

RUSTON, La. - Louisiana Tech's Cameron Linck was lights out on the mound and received some run support with the help of back-to-back home runs by Cody Daigle and Chase Lunceford as the Bulldogs defeated FIU, 6-1, Saturday afternoon in front of 1,273 at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park to even the series.

LA Tech is now 19-12 overall this season and 7-7 in Conference USA play, while FIU fell to 17-20 and 5-9 in the league. With the win, the Bulldogs tied the series against FIU at one game apiece with Sunday's rubber match scheduled for an 11 a.m. first pitch in Ruston.

Linck (2-0) started for the Bulldogs and earned the win after pitching 7.1 innings, his longest outing this season, while striking out a season-high 10 batters on the afternoon. The right-hander allowed just one run on four hits and did not walk a batter before Zack Hamilton came on in relief in the top of the eighth. Hamilton pitched the final inning and two-thirds while holding FIU scoreless on one hit.

"Cameron Linck went out there and threw a tremendous game for us," head coach Greg Goff said. "Coach [Christian] Ostrander did an excellent job calling pitches and Cameron Linck executed every one of them. We had some good at bats in those middle innings to get the lead. We are so thankful for the student body and community for coming out and it was amazing seeing the stands full at the Love Shack. You could feel the energy."

FIU starter Chris Mourelle (4-4) was charged with the loss after pitching 6.1 innings and allowing five runs on seven hits. Mourelle struck out two on the day before Nate Pearson came on in relief in the seventh and pitched the final 1.2 innings for the Panthers. Pearson gave up one run on two hits while striking out one and walking one.

For the second day in a row, LA Tech and FIU were both held scoreless through the first four innings before the Bulldogs broke through in the fifth thanks to two singles by Taylor Love and Brent Diaz to give Tech a 1-0 lead, their first of the series.

In the next inning, the Bulldogs received a few insurance runs in the form of back-to-back solo home runs to right field by Daigle and Lunceford for a 3-0 advantage. LA Tech continued the scoring in seventh when the Bulldogs plated two more runs on a wild pitch and RBI single by Jordan Washam to jump out to a 5-0 lead over the Panthers.

FIU cut the lead to four in the top of the eighth when Irving Lopez scored the only run of the game for the Panthers on a one-out solo home run to right field to make it a 5-1 game. But the Bulldogs came right back in the bottom half of the inning and extended the lead to 6-1 on Lunceford's RBI triple to right field.

LA Tech totaled nine hits in the game compared to five by the Panthers, while Lunceford led the way with a 2-for-4 day at the plate with a triple, home run and two RBI's. Daigle also had two hits in the win as the first baseman was 2-for-3 with a home run and RBI. Jordan Washam also drove in a run on one hit, while Bryce Stark was 1-for-3 with a walk. Taylor Love, Chandler Hall and Brent Diaz each had one hit and scored a run.

With the series tied 1-1, LA Tech and FIU will play the rubber match at 11 a.m. Sunday at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston. The Bulldogs will send right-hander Casey Sutton to the mound, while FIU will counter with lefty Alex Demchak.

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