RUSTON – Louisiana Tech and BYU each took one game in the doubleheader on Saturday at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
 
Trailing by four runs, LA Tech (1-2) scored three runs apiece in the seventh and eighth inning to take the first game of the day, 8-6.  BYU (2-1) took another early lead in the night game and kept it as the Cougars came out on top, 8-2.
 
GAME ONE
BYU carried over its hitting into Saturday, stringing together three consecutive singles to take a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first inning.  They tacked on three more in the third thanks to a two-run shot by Austin Deming and a single down the left field line by Brock Watkins. 
 
Meanwhile, through the first three innings Adarius Myers provided two runs on RBI singles. 
 
With the Bulldog bullpen keeping the Cougars at bay, primarily Alec Sparks who came on in relief to go 4.0 innings and strikeout nine, the home team got three runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh when Dalton Davis and Philip Matulia went back-to-back for home runs.
 
Three more came in the bottom of the eighth after Cole McConnell singled through the right side to score Logan McLeod who led off the inning by getting hit by a pitch.  At 6-all, the winning run came across with Brody Drost scoring on a wild pitch.  Another run was added by Davis drilling an RBI double to left field. 
 
Landon Tomkins ended up getting the win for LA Tech, going 2.0 innings of shutout baseball in the last two frames.  Sparks, Tomkins, and Nick Fraginals combined to pitch 7.0 innings and allow just one run on six hits.
 
GAME TWO
Just like in game one, BYU jumped on the scoreboard right off the bat for two runs to put LA Tech behind early again.  The Cougars lead increased even more in the second inning when they put up a 5-spot to go ahead 7-0 after four hits and two walks, including a two-run blast by Austin Deming. 
 
BYU's bats cooled off for the most part the remainder of the game, aside from a solo shot in the seventh by Ryan Sepede. 
 
LA Tech had its chances late in the game to make another comeback, bringing seven Bulldogs to the plate in the bottom of the seventh and starting off the eighth with a double by Dalton Davis and a single by Adarius Myers.  However, the 'Dogs could only scratch across one run in each of those innings. 
 
Cutter Clawson got the victory on the mound for the Cougars with 6.0 innings of shutout baseball.  He walked only two and struck out nine.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Lane Burroughs
 
"In three games, BYU has 41 hits.  We are not doing a good job of missing barrels.  They are a good hitting team.  They are getting hits and forcing us to make plays.  It makes it tough on our hitters when you come to bat already behind the eight ball.  We just are not playing really good baseball right now.  We will get there.  We are playing a good team.  We have to come out Monday and find a way to split this series."
 
UP NEXT
LA Tech and BYU close out their four-game series on Monday, Feb. 20.  First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
 
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