RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech trailed Big 10-member Northwestern, 9-3, going into the bottom of the second, then outscored the visiting Wildcats 13-0 the rest of the way to win, 16-9, and sweep the three-game series on a beautiful Sunday afternoon at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
 
Pitchers Alec Sparks (1-0), Justin Williams and Ryan Harland teamed up to pitch 7.2 innings of shutout ball, and Tech batters banged out 14 hits and scored in every inning but the seventh as Tech moved to 8-4 and ended a stretch of eight games in 10 days.
 
"We've played 12 games? Seems like we've played 30," said Tech coach Lane Burroughs, whose team split a two-game midweek series at defending national champion Ole Miss and trailed 4-0 going into the bottom of the fifth against Northwestern Saturday before rallying to win, 5-4, in 11 innings.
 
Philip Matulia had four hits and four RBI and Logan McLeod had three hits and three RBI. Dalton Davis, Adarius Myers and Walker Burchfield each had a pair of RBI, Bates and Myers each had a pair of hits, and every Bulldog starter scored at least once.
 
Tech tied it in the third then took an 11-9 lead in the fourth by scoring six runs on just two hits in those innings. Tech took advantage of four walks and four hit batters during the errorless game.
 
"The offense was just relentless today," Burroughs said. "Seems like it's been a long time since we've walked back into the dugout after the first half-inning and had a zero on the scoreboard."
 
Northwestern took an early 1-0 lead in its half of the first both Friday and Saturday.
 
But, "Bullpen to the rescue," Burroughs said.
 
While the Dogs were hammering their way back into it Sunday, Sparks got two big outs in the second, then pitched three more scoreless innings. Williams pitched 1.2 innings before Harland relieved him, got a two-out, five-pitch strikeout with the bases loaded to end the seventh, then faced just two over the minimum in the final two innings. Starter Reed Smith was hit on the hand by a batted ball and left in the first, and Greg Martinez gave up five runs in one inning of relief before Sparks got things settled down.
 
Tech pitching was backed by solid defense, including the snuffing of a shot to his right by first baseman Davis and four web gems by McLeod, who was benched Saturday.
 
"So proud of the way that young man responded," Burroughs said of his junior shortstop, C-USA's Defensive Player of the Year last season at third base while All-American Taylor Young was at short. "Instead of pouting and going 'Woe is me' after getting sat down yesterday, he responded by having a heckuva game. Essentially, he was saying, 'Hey, watch this. I'm not gonna let you bench me again.'"
 
Tech did damage against five Wildcat pitchers, including the third pitcher of the day and loser Ethan Sund (0-1) as the hard-luck Wildcats fell to 0-9.
 
"Their record is whatever, but that's the best winless team I've ever seen," Burroughs said. "College baseball: it just gets crazier every year."
 
The Bulldogs will take Monday and Tuesday off and get back to work Wednesday before heading to Fayetteville to play No. 8 Arkansas Friday at 3, Saturday at 2 and Sunday at 1. Tech returns to The Love Shack March 14-15 for a Tuesday-Wednesday set against Air Force, then opens the C-USA season at home with three weekend games against Charlotte beginning Friday, March 17.