HATTIESBURG, Miss. – No. 21 Louisiana Tech responded with a 4-0 shutout victory in game two of Saturday's doubleheader to split a pair of Conference USA contests against Southern Miss at Pete Taylor Park. Both games in Saturday's doubleheader were seven innings.
 
LA Tech (16-6) starting pitcher Cade Gibson pitched Tech's fourth complete-game shutout of the 2021 season in the game-two triumph. Gibson, a Ruston native making just his third-career start, is now 2-0 as a starter this season and has allowed just one run over 17.1 innings pitched in a starter's role.
 
Cleanup batter Steele Netterville was red hot throughout Saturday's pair of contests in Hattiesburg, belting his second of two home runs on the day to give LA Tech breathing room in game two. Netterville crushed a 2-0 pitch from Southern Miss (13-8) reliever Chandler Best over the scoreboard in left field, doubling LA Tech's lead to 4-0 in the top of the fifth.
 
Netterville's towering two-run shot energized the Bulldogs' starting pitcher with Gibson sitting down the Golden Eagles in order with just six pitches in the bottom of the fifth. The left-hander then worked out of a Southern Miss threat in the sixth, stranding runners at first and second with back-to-back punchouts. Gibson pounded his glove as he strutted off the mound after a 1-2 curveball dove underneath Golden Eagle Christopher Sargent's bat to end the inning.
 
The left-hander then finished off Tech's fourth complete-game shutout of 2021 when he sprinted to first base to glove a throw from first baseman Manny Garcia to end the ballgame. The Diamond Dogs have now tossed five shutouts through their first 22 games this season, recording their first shutout in a seven-inning contest since April 8, 2018, at UTSA.
 
"You get your teeth kicked in sometimes when you play this game, and we did in game one," head coach Lane Burroughs said. "They're a really good team, and they're used to winning on their home field.

"I was very pleased and proud with how our guys bounced back in game two, and obviously Cade Gibson was the story."
 
The No. 21 Bulldogs struck first in game two with a pair of runs in the third inning. Two-hole batter Hunter Wells sparked the two-run third inning with a one-out double to right center. Centerfielder Parker Bates then tagged his second triple of the afternoon to make it 1-0 Bulldogs. Netterville's hot bat from game one appeared once again in game two as the right fielder punished USM starter Ben Ethridge on an 0-2 pitch over the plate, lining an RBI single into center field to double the visitor's lead.
 
Netterville finished Saturday's doubleheader with five hits, six RBI, two home runs and three runs scored. The top four batters in LA Tech's batting order combined to tally all five of the Diamond Dogs' hits in the second Saturday matchup.
 
Game 1 Recap
 
The Bulldogs dropped the first game of Saturday's doubleheader 14-6, snapping LA Tech's seven-game winning streak entering Saturday's pair of contests.
 
The Bulldogs struck first for the seventh time in eight games, scoring their first run of the ballgame on an RBI fielder's choice from first baseman Ben Brantley. Cleanup batter Steele Netterville opened the second inning with a leadoff infield single, beating out a throw from the second baseman. Designated hitter Shemar Page then doubled to right center to put runners at second and third for Brantley.
 
Tech doubled its early advantage when shortstop Alex Ray delivered a two-out single to left field, bringing home Page from third base on the RBI base hit. LA Tech's pair of runs in the second inning snapped Southern Miss starter Walker Powell's 24-inning scoreless streak.
 
Southern Miss used the long ball to first tie the game and then pull away from the Bulldogs in the first matchup of the afternoon. The Golden Eagles smacked four home runs in game one, two of which came in a four-run second inning. Southern Miss never trailed following its pair of two-run homers in the second frame.
 
Netterville tagged his first home run of the afternoon to trim USM's lead to 7-5 in the top of the fifth. The Shreveport native's two-run shot to left field marked Tech's third run of the inning. Back-to-back doubles from Ray and leadoff batter Taylor Young put the Bulldogs' first run on the board in the fifth.
 
Southern Miss leadoff batter Gabe Montenegro powered the Golden Eagle offense to victory in Saturday's opening game, tallying three hits, three RBI and a home run in the 14-6 win.
 
LA Tech logged its sixth and final run in the game in the top of the seventh with two outs. Unsurprisingly, Netterville singled to center field to drive in Parker Bates from third after the senior centerfielder extended the game with a two-out triple.
 
On Deck
The No. 21 Bulldogs will go for the series victory on Sunday with right-hander Jarret Whorff on the mound. Sunday's first pitch is set for 1 p.m. and will return to being a nine-inning contest. Whorff holds a 4-1 record with a 2.59 ERA entering Sunday's series finale at Pete Taylor Park.