RUSTON – The tight, back-and-forth Saturday game between Louisiana Tech and FIU was filled with its fair share of drama and excitement, and it would be capped with a bang by a Philip Matulia solo home run in extra innings (a shot launched into a clear blue sky despite the early forecast for storms) in front of 2,017 Bulldog faithful at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
 
It seemed Louisiana Tech (18-18, 8-6 C-USA) might set the tone early when Logan McLeod ripped a leadoff double on the FIU (14-21, 3-11 C-USA) starter that fell in the right field corner, making 22 consecutive games of McLeod reaching base safely. However, it would be defense, not offense, that would reign in this game, evident early on when Jorge Corona threw out the lead runner on a bunt attempt with FIU threatening in the bottom of the second inning.
 
This was followed up by a 1-6-3 double play that gave the already-stout Greg Martinez some extra fielding work on the mound. Martinez would also roll a 1-6-3 double play again in the next inning. Speaking of double plays, Tech would turn another in the top of the fourth, a 5-6-3 DP that continued to showcase the Bulldog's efficient defense on the day.
 
Martinez was one of three Tech pitchers who made this such a difficult game for the Panthers. He dealt five scoreless innings before giving up his first and only run, an RBI single from FIU. Tech threatened to answer in the bottom of the sixth but was stopped by a double play of FIU's own, leaving Tech batters stranded and taking a 1-0 game into the seventh.
 
Martinez's quality start came to an end in the seventh as Harland stepped to the mound with Panther runners on first and second. Naturally, the home team would get out of the jam by turning a double play—McLeod fielded the grounder, stepped on the third base bag to get the lead runner, and zipped the ball to first to get the batter and end the threat.
 
The Bulldogs had to fight for their runs in the game. They would tie things up at one apiece after McLeod got to second base after a single and throwing error (he tends to get on base) and came around to score on a Dalton Davis single in the next at-bat.
 
The home crowd's hearts dropped in the top of the ninth inning when Ethan Bates (3-1) moved from the infield to the mound in relief and gave up a solo HR to FIU's Alec Sanchez to make it a 2-1 game. Needing a run in a game where runs were hard to come by, Tech scrapped to tie things up in the bottom of the ninth after Bates reached on an FIU error and scored on a single from Colton Hegwood, who had replaced Bates in the infield. Hegwood was caught out at second base though while trying to stretch his single on the throw. One more out later, and the game was in extras.
 
Bates and the defense backing him up were able to put up a zero in the top of the tenth, and Tech threatened to score with runners on first and second and two outs in the bottom of the inning. Brody Drost would get tripped up between second and third though, tagged out before Philip Matulia could finish his plate appearance.
 
It was Matulia, with a fresh count and empty bases in the bottom of the eleventh inning, who would use his second chance at the plate to end the ball game after Bates and Co. punctuated their defensive efforts with a three up-three down top half.
 
Matulia's solo home run gave him a team-high 13 on the year and sent the Love Shack home happy. On a day where runs were hard to come by, his majestic walk-off bomb felt more than earned, and head coach Lane Burroughs knows it.
 
"Phil stepped up. Jorge stepped up. Greg Martinez stepped up today. What a start. Harland was really good and then Bates there at the end. … [The team] came out fighting, and I'm proud of them."
 
Coach Burroughs went on to say he put pressure on the team earlier in the week to win this weekend series.
 
"We needed this series in the worst way," he said. "I don't like to put too much emphasis on a series and a game in baseball, but we told the guys Thursday, 'We gotta win the series.' They went out and did it."
 
UP NEXT
The series finale against FIU is set for Sunday at 11 a.m. Tech will then play Southern Miss in a midweek matchup at home on Tuesday, April 18 at 6 p.m. before traveling to Dallas Baptist for a weekend conference series.