RUSTON - The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs tied a school record with seven home runs en route to a 26-3 thumping of the Maine Black Bears on Sunday at Ruston High School.
 
Steele Netterville went 3-for-4 with 2 home runs and 7 RBI. For the weekend, Netterville went 9-for-15 (.600) while accumulating 14 RBI and scoring 8 times. He had five extra base hits over the course of the four games and lifted his batting average from .217 entering Friday's game to .368 after Sunday's action.
 
Taylor Young also launched two home runs – giving him more on the weekend than he had all of last season – and went 5-for-6 in the win. Parker Bates went a perfect 4-for-4 with a home run and 3 RBI. Young and Bates both tied the LA Tech record for runs scored in a game by crossing home six times.
 
Not to be left out, Hunter Wells went 3-for-5 with 2 walks, an RBI, and 4 runs scored. In total, 9 Bulldogs recorded a base hit and 12 reached base.
 
Tech opened the game in front after Netterville blasted his third home run of the weekend in the first inning. Alex Ray and Young added on with back-to-back home runs in the second and the rout was on from there.
 
Bates hit his home run in the fourth inning and Manny Garcia doubled home a pair in the sixth before the Bulldogs added on in a big way in their final two frames. The Diamond Dogs piled on 14 of their 26 runs in the 7^th and 8^th innings while batting around in both innings. Tech has outscored opponents 27-3 in the seventh inning this season.
 
The Bulldogs (9-3) are the first Conference-USA team to score 26 runs in a game since Rice in 2017. Only five teams have scored more runs in a single game than Tech did on Sunday.
 
Jarret Whorff (3-0) posted a solid outing on the mound. The junior allowed 3 runs in 7 innings of work while striking out a pair. Beau Billings and Jack Payne each added a scoreless inning of relief.
 
Matt Geoffrion (0-1) was hit with the loss after allowing seven runs in two innings of work. In total, six Black Bears (0-10) saw time on the mound.
 
Tech will hit the road again next week to take on Sam Houston State. The Bulldogs and Bearkats square off in Huntsville on Tuesday, March 3.