RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech loses game one of the three-game set with Florida Atlantic 10-2 Friday night at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
LA Tech (32-16, 14-8 C-USA) drops the series opener against Florida Atlantic (29-17, 14-8 C-USA) as the Owls used a seven run fifth inning and a strong eight innings from left-hander Hunter Cooley.
The Bulldogs and Owls were held scoreless through the first three frames. LA Tech starter
Cade Gibson was cruising as he retired the first 10 batters he faced.
Walker Burchfield recorded the first hit of the game by either team, singling in the bottom of the third.
After the first 10 were sent down, FAU's Gabriel Rincones Jr. singled to right field. With two-outs, Dylan Goldstein singled through the left side to bring the first run home.
In the top of the fifth the Owls plated a seven-spot on five hits. Tyler Kelder began the inning with a solo homer to left field. Goldstein later singled on the infield that brought a third Owl run home followed by another RBI infield single, a RBI hit-by-pitch, a bases loaded walk and a two-run single to left from Caleb Pendleton to cap off the seven-run fifth.
The Owls scored one more in the seventh and one more in the eighth to take a 10-0 lead.
FAU left-hander Hunter Cooley had the LA Tech bats off-balance in this one. Cooley went a strong eight innings allowing seven hits, two earned, one walk and five punchouts. The freshman held the Bulldogs scoreless up until two outs in the bottom of the eighth.
Cole McConnell got the Bulldogs on the board in the bottom of the eighth as he split the gap with two-outs driving in his 59
th and 60
th RBI on the season.
Greg Martinez was solid out of the pen eating up 4.1 innings allowed two earned, four hits, one walk and two strikeouts.
NOTABLES
- Netterville goes 2-for-4 with two singles
- McConnell notches his 60th RBI of the season
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Lane Burroughs
"I thought we were flat. Their starter Cooley was good, but the disappointing part is he just kept getting us out the same way over and over. We had noncompetitive at-bats. That was the most frustrating thing. We simply did not play good and that is about as bad as I can remember in a really long time. It is my job as a head coach to figure it out. It all starts and ends on the mound, their guy was good and ours was not."
"Our guys have answered the bell all year long and that is the challenge to them. You have to get up off the mat when everybody leaves us for dead and jumps off the wagon. Our guys pick each other up. That is our challenge. I am embarrassed and I know they are, but we have to find a way to win tomorrow."
UP NEXT
LA Tech and Florida Atlantic meet for game two Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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