MIAMI – For the second straight evening, the Louisiana Tech baseball team saw a dominating performance from its starting pitcher, as left-hander David Leal went seven innings, allowing just one run as the Bulldogs defeated FIU, 5-2, on Friday evening from FIU Baseball Stadium.
 
Leal (4-1) allowed a run in the first inning, but turned it on after that, at one point retiring 12 consecutive batters over the course of the ensuing six shutout innings. For the evening, Leal needed just 81 pitches to complete his seven innings, striking out four, walking one and scattering just three hits.
 
For the night, Leal faced 24 batters, just three over the minimum through his seven complete frames.
 
Over his last three starts, Leal has tossed 23.0 innings, allowing just four runs, while recording 19 strikeouts and walking just one. Tech is 3-0 in his three C-USA starts.
 
Meanwhile, the Tech offense plated five runs on 10 hits – the majority of which came against FIU starter Nick MacDonald (4-5).
 
The Bulldogs plated a run in the top of the first courtesy of some action from the top of the order, as Taylor Young and Hunter Wells began the game with back-to-back singles. With one out, and runners at the corners after a fielder's choice, Tanner Huddleston plated the first run of the evening, as his sac fly to right was deep enough to easily score Young from third.
 
The Panthers got the run right back off Leal in the bottom of the first after an RBI groundout scored Jarrett Ford, who led off the game with a double down the left field line.
 
However, after the shaky start, Leal buckled down in a big way, retiring 18 of the next 20 batters, while inducing nine ground ball outs for the evening.
 
In a 1-1 ballgame after one, Tech swung back out in front in the top of the third via a two out rally from the middle of the order. With two retired, Tech centerfielder Parker Bates was hit for the second time, bringing up Steele Netterville, back in the lineup, who singled sharply back up the middle. Then, Manny Garcia laced a ball off the glove of FIU third baseman Austin Shenton. The play was reversed to an error, but nonetheless, Bates came home to score, giving Tech a 2-1 lead.
 
Then in the fourth, Tech capitalized on numerous FIU miscues, including another error and a pair of passed balls, as RBI base hits from Young and Mason Mallard pushed the Bulldog lead out to four at 5-1.
 
Now protecting a four-run lead, Leal became untouchable, allowing just one baserunner through his final four innings pitched.
 
Tyler Follis and Braxton Smith took the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, on the mound for the Bulldogs. Follis allowed one hit, but nothing else, while Smith allowed a solo home run to Danny Perez, but finished the ninth with a strikeout, preserving the Bulldog series triumph.
 
Sophomores Taylor Young and Steele Netterville paced the Tech offense, as Young went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI, while Netterville collected three hits of his own (3-for-4).
 
Tech will look to complete the weekend sweep tomorrow morning with a first pitch scheduled for 10 a.m. CT. Left-hander Logan Bailey is slated to start for the Dogs, while FIU has yet to announce a starter.
 
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