RUSTON, La. – It was Cade Gibson's night, and we were all just witnesses.
 
The Ruston native delivered a performance three years in the making in his first-career start for the Bulldogs, shutting down No. 4 Ole Miss over 7.1 innings to lead LA Tech to its second straight win over a top-five SEC opponent. The Bulldogs put up multiple runs in four frames to power their way to a lopsided 13-1 victory.
 
Gibson, a Ruston High School alum, transferred to Louisiana Tech following two years at LSU-Shreveport in 2017 and 2018. The road did not come easy for the left-hander, redshirting during the 2019 season before Tommy John surgery held him out of the shortened 2020 season. As he walked off the mound with a 13-1 lead and in line for his first collegiate win over the No. 4 team in the nation, he knew all his patience had finally paid off.
 
"It was huge," Gibson said. "I loved every bit of it.
 
"I'll never forget it. When I saw coach Burroughs walk up to the mound to come get me, as a competitor, you don't ever want to come out of the game. But for him to give me that opportunity to enjoy that moment was something special. I've always loved this city. I threw out the first pitch for my 10^th birthday, so I've always wanted to play here. To get that opportunity to walk off the mound and see everybody standing and clapping was something special for sure."
 
Gibson was dialed in from the start of the game, allowing just five hits and one walk while striking out five Rebels in an outstanding start in front of a hometown crowd. The left-hander cut through an Ole Miss lineup that's tallied five or more runs in 12 of its 17 games this season, three of which came against top-10 opponents.
 
"Cade was outstanding, and I'm very proud of him," head coach Lane Burroughs said. "He's been through so much.
 
"It's been a long haul for him, and I'm so glad he got his moment tonight. He did this to us all fall. You could tell early on that he was locked in."
 
LA Tech (10-5) gave the Ruston native an early lead with a whopping four straight doubles from the top of its order in the bottom of the first. Leadoff man Taylor Young lined a 2-2 pitch down the left-field line to open the inning before Wells quickly brought home Young on the next pitch with a double of his own, putting the 'Dogs ahead 1-0.
 
Centerfielder Parker Bates then stepped to the plate to smack Tech's third double of the inning on a full count, barely missing a two-run homer after the ball bounced off the top of the wall. The stage was then set for cleanup batter Steele Netterville with runners on second and third with nobody out, and the right fielder delivered with a two-run double into the gap in left center. Tech's four doubles in the first gave the home team a 3-0 advantage.
 
The Bulldogs and Rebels (13-4) traded seven scoreless team at-bats until a pivotal fifth inning. Gibson allowed two base runners to reach with leadoff batter Peyton Chatagnier stepping to the plate. The left-hander remained poised and struck out Chatagnier on a 3-2 pitch, pumping his fist as he walked off the mound.
 
LA Tech carried the momentum from Gibson's punchout into the bottom of the fifth, extending its lead to 7-0 with four runs scored in the inning. The top of the order once again pounced on Ole Miss' pitching staff as Young, Wells and Bates tallied back-to-back-to-back singles to push Tech's lead to 4-0.
 
After the Rebels' Logan Savell retired Netterville with a flyout to center, Garcia kept his line drive just fair down the left-field line to score Wells from second and move Bates up to third. First baseman Ben Brantley capped off the inning with a two-RBI single up the middle to make it 7-0 Diamond Dogs through five innings.
 
Tech once again tallied a four spot in the sixth, plating all of its runs in the frame with two outs. Netterville recorded his second two-RBI hit of the night when his single to right field brought home shortstop Alex Ray and catcher Kyle Hasler who reached earlier in the inning. Wells then trotted home on a passed ball after reaching on a four-pitch walk earlier in the frame, pushing across Tech's 10^th run of the ballgame.
 
Wells' run marked the first time Ole Miss has allowed 10 runs or more in a game since its 2019 season came to a close in a 14-1 loss to No. 5 Arkansas in the NCAA Super Regionals, a run of 33 games entering Tuesday night. Tech's fourth run of the sixth and 11^th of the night came on another double from Garcia, which also sliced down the left-field line to score Netterville from second base.
 
The Bulldogs tacked on two more runs in the seventh for their third straight multi-run inning. A double from Ray brought home left fielder Cole McConnell from second base after he worked his way on base via a walk following an eight-pitch at-bat. A fielder's choice from Wells pushed across the Bulldogs' 13^th and final run of the night.
 
LA Tech tallied 14 hits for its eighth game this season with 10 hits or more. All five of Tech's top-five hitters in its batting order recorded two hits in Tuesday's win with Netterville pacing the 'Dogs with four RBI.
 
LA Tech will head down to New Orleans to open its final nonconference weekend series of the regular season with a three-game set at Tulane. First pitch for Friday night's game at Turchin Stadium is set for 6 p.m.