Box Score April 22, 2016 Final Stats
Box Score: LA Tech 11, ODU 4 
RUSTON, La. - Louisiana Tech used an eight-run first inning to jump out on top of Old Dominion early as the Bulldogs defeated the Monarchs, 11-4, Friday night at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
LA Tech improved to 22-12 overall with a 9-7 mark in Conference USA play, while Old Dominion fell to 24-15 and 7-9 in the league action. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the series thanks to the victory with game two set for 3 p.m. Saturday in Ruston.
The Bulldogs enjoyed an ideal start to the weekend when LA Tech sent 11 batters to the plate in the bottom of the first on six hits and three walks to quickly give starter Phillip Diehl an 8-0 cushion on the mound.
"I thought Jake Wells had great preparation with our hitters today," head coach Greg Goff said. "I felt like our hitters had a really good approach today and hit some really good pitches in RBI situations to get us going early. Old Dominion is a good team and that was a good arm we beat tonight, but we know Old Dominion will show up tomorrow and be ready to go."
Diehl (3-4) earned the win on the mound after allowing four runs on five hits in six full innings of work. The lefty picked up his third win of the season before Nate Harris came on in relief in the seventh. Harris (3) earned a save by holding ODU scoreless in the final three innings while the right-hander struck out four, walked one and allowed two hits.
Old Dominion starter Nick Hartman was charged with the loss after lasting one inning in which the Bulldogs plated eight runs on six hits and three walks. Hartman (4-3) struck out one before Joey Benitez came on in the second. Benitez held the Bulldogs to three runs on six hits and five strikeouts for 5.1 innings of relief. Thomas Busbice pitched the final 1.2 innings for ODU and allowed just one hit the rest of the game.
In the first, Bryce Stark had two base hits with an infield single and a double toward the end of the frame to drive in two runs and score one himself. Chandler Hall also knocked in two runs on a bases-loaded RBI single to left later in the inning that put LA Tech up 4-0. The inning continued with RBI base hits by Brent Diaz, Stark and Jordan Washam before the Bulldogs closed out the first with an eight-run head start on the Monarchs.
ODU plated a run in the second on a solo home run, but LA Tech picked right back up where they started in the bottom half of the inning with back-to-back doubles by Cody Daigle and Chase Lunceford, as well as an RBI triple by Sean Ullrich to extend the Bulldogs' lead to 10-1 after two innings of the series opener.
LA Tech's final run of the game in the seventh when Hall singled up the middle, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by the ODU catcher. Jordan Washam drove in the 11th run on a sacrifice fly to right field to close out the scoring with the Bulldogs ahead, 11-4, over the Monarchs.
The Bulldogs totaled 13 hits in the game and walked eight times in the series-opening victory, while both Stark and Hall each recorded three hits in the game with two RBI's and two runs scored. Hall stole two bases on the night, while Stark swiped one bag. Jordan Washam also drove in two runs with a 2-for-4 effort at the plate, while seven different Bulldogs recorded base hits and eight different players scoring at least one run in the win.
Three of Old Dominion's four runs came on solo home runs in the second and fourth by Connor Myers, Turner Bishop and Seth Woodard. The Monarchs added a run in the sixth after a lead-off double by Zach Rutherford and sacrifice fly by Myers. Both Rutherford and Bishop had two hits apiece for ODU.
LA Tech and Old Dominion resume the series at 3 p.m. Saturday at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park in Ruston.
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