RUSTON – It took until the middle of the game for the Bulldog bats to create some offense, but critical hits from Dalton Davis and Colton Hegwood coupled with 6 innings of scoreless pitching from Landon Tomkins and Ethan Bates led to a 5-4 walk-off series win vs Northwestern just as the sun set on 2,068 fans at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
 
The Wildcats (0-8) had control of the game early, scoring first and taking a 4-0 lead to the bottom of the fifth inning. The first Louisiana Tech (7-4) hit of the game came from a Dalton Davis single, and it was pinch hitter Colton Hegwood's first home run of the season that got the 'Dogs back into the ballgame and gave the Love Shack some life. Jorge Corona's RBI single one inning later got Tech within a run, and the odds were finally evened in the bottom of the eighth with another important Dalton Davis hit, this time a solo shot over the left field wall. It wouldn't be the last of his heroics in this game.
 
The rest of the game's regulation innings were a stalemate. Zero after zero flashed up to the scoreboard as pitching ruled the stat sheet. Tech threatened on more than one occasion with several runners on base but didn't manage to scratch any across. Northwestern, who left four more runners on base for the game than Tech, had much the same experience on offense late in the evening. It was Landon Tompkins facing 11 batters and giving up no hits that closed out regulation and paved the way for Ethan Bates (2-0) to take over for two scoreless extra innings of his own.
 
Facing two outs with nobody on in the bottom of the eleventh, it was a quick succession of Bulldogs reaching base that made the difference. A Brody Drost single and an Ethan Bates walk put who else but Dalton Davis at the plate. A sharp single up the line to left field was enough to bring Drost around to push the winning run across and electrify the Bulldog faithful.
 
Head coach Lane Burroughs knows that the Bulldogs are more than capable of grinding out a win when their backs are against the wall.
 
"It was a great win for our guys," Coach Burroughs said. "A gritty, tough win … I did not think we played well. We had a lot of opportunities to drive in runs to push the lead, but credit their pitchers … [Northwestern] is better than their record shows. This was a must-win, and we need to try to get this sweep tomorrow."

UP NEXT
LA Tech and Northwestern will close out their three-game series on Sunday with first pitch set for noon at the Love Shack.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Baseball, follow them on Twitter (@LATechBSB), Instagram (@LATechBSB), and Facebook (LATechBSB).