RUSTON, La. – The Louisiana Tech baseball team improved to 9-2, while earning its second weekend sweep of the season, defeating the visiting Arkansas State Red Wolves 5-4, and 8-6 in a Saturday twin bill in front of 1,259 from J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
 
The Bulldogs (9-2) claimed the game one victory in dramatic fashion behind a walk off solo home run for Hunter Wells in the bottom of the ninth. In the second contest, Tech received a go-ahead grand slam from junior centerfielder Parker Bates en route to an eventual 8-6 triumph.
 
"Our guys showed a lot of toughness and heart today," head coach Lane Burroughs said. "Our lineup is tough to navigate through especially the third and fourth time through, and I thought we did a great job of working at-bats and coming up with timely hits today. Logan (Robbins) gave us a great start in game one, and then (Jonathan) Fincher was solid in closing out that second game. We've played 11 games this year, and they've all been tough. Our schedule doesn't get any easier, so it's imperative that we close out home series like we did today."
 
Game One Recap
In the first game of the Saturday doubleheader, both starting pitchers in Tech's Logan Robbins and Arkansas State's Chandler Coates were dominant early on. Both starters put up zeros through the first two frames before Tech scratched across the first run of the game in the third after right fielder Mason Robinson launched a leadoff solo blast over the wall in right.
 
With a 1-0 lead, Logan Robbins was lights out, as the southpaw held the Red Wolves off the board through the first six innings of work.
 
Tech added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth courtesy of an RBI double from Steele Netterville, scoring Taylor Young, who had reached via an error.
 
Robbins trotted back out for the seventh and quickly put a pair on after a one-out walk and HBP. Reliever Jonathan Fincher entered in relief of Robbins, and Arkansas State loaded the bases after a fielding error by Tech third baseman Tanner Huddleston. Jake Jablonski then brought home the first Red Wolves run of the day via a sac fly to right field. However, Fincher buckled down and got a key strikeout of Tyler Duncan, preserving the Tech lead at 2-1.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, the Bulldogs got that run back after another RBI base knock from Robinson scored Tanner Huddleston, who had led off the inning with a double.
 
Leading now, 3-1, Tech called upon senior right-hander Matt Miller to close things out. Miller worked around some traffic in the eighth, but held A-State off the board. An RBI single from Tanner Huddleston in the bottom of the eighth increased the Tech lead to 4-1. However, in the top of the ninth, the Red Wolves bats came alive as Miller was tagged for a solo home run from Sky-Lar Culver and then a pinch-hit, two-run blast from Andrew Leggo tied the game up at four. Lefty reliever Kyle Griffen got the 'Dogs out of the inning, keeping things tied up.
 
In the bottom of the ninth with one out, junior Hunter Wells laced a ball down the right field line that tucked just inside the foul pole and over the fence, giving Tech the dramatic 5-4 walk-off triumph.
 
Starter Logan Robbins was solid in the no decision, going 6.1 innings, while allowing one unearned run. The southpaw gave up just one base hit, while striking out seven and walking two in his best start of the 2019 season.
 
Griffen picked up the win in relief, getting two key outs in the top of the ninth.
 
Game 2 Recap
With the series win under their belts, the Bulldogs looked to complete the doubleheader sweep behind starter Logan Bailey.
 
The Tech bats started quickly in the second leg of the doubleheader, tagging Arkansas State starter Nate Alberius for three runs in the bottom of the first, keyed by a critical error. Wells led off the frame with a single followed by a walk from Taylor Young. With two aboard, Mason Mallard singled to centerfield. The ball was misplayed by the A-State centerfielder, Drew Tipton, allowing both Wells and Young to score and sent Mallard over to third. Mallard would eventually come home to score after Shelton Wallace beat out a double-play ground ball, securing the RBI and giving Tech the early 3-0 lead.
 
Bailey responded to the early offensive output and put up a pair of zeros in the second and third, navigating through some traffic on the bases in the process.
 
However, A-State got to within one in the top of the fourth after a two-RBI single from Alex Howard. The Bulldogs were held off the board in the bottom of the fourth, and then A-State tied things at three in the fifth courtesy of an RBI double to right center from catcher Jake Karst.
 
In a 3-3 ballgame, the Tech offense got the wheels churning again. Freshman catcher Philip Matulia reached after a throwing error from second baseman Karsen Reid. Wells and Young both flied out, then with two outs, Mallard singled to center. With two outs, Steele Netterville struck out swinging, but the inning was extended as the wild pitch bounced away from the catcher, loading the bases. The inability to complete the out proved costly as the very next batter in Parker Bates launched a moonshot well over the scoreboard in right for a grand slam, giving Tech back the lead at 7-3.
 
In the top of the sixth, the Red Wolves clawed back yet again, and scored three after an RBI single from Justin Felix and a two-RBI double from Culver, who was tagged out trying to stretch it into a triple, ending the threat, and keeping the Tech lead at 7-6.
 
Both teams were held off the board in the seventh before Tech tacked on an insurance run in the eighth via a sac fly from Huddleston, scoring Shelton Wallace, who led off the innings with a triple off the wall in right.
 
Tech reliever Jonathan Fincher, who entered the game in the seventh, trotted out for the ninth, and slammed the door shut on the Red Wolves comeback attempt, earning his second save of the season.
 
Tech starter Logan Bailey picked up the win, as the southpaw made it through five innings, giving up three runs (all earned) on six hits, while striking out five and walking three.
 
A-State starter Nate Alberius was charged with the loss, as the right-hander allowed seven runs (just two of which were earned) over his five innings of work.
 
The Bulldogs return to action on Tuesday evening, taking on Northwestern State at 6 p.m. in a home midweek showdown.