RUSTON, La. - Strong hitting led Louisiana Tech to a doubleheader victory sweep over Jax State on Saturday afternoon at J.C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park. Tech (19-6) took game one of the doubleheader against Jax State by a score of 12-8. Later, Tech earned a 9-4 victory over Jax State in game two.

GAME ONE
Offensively, Tech came out hot, taking a four-run lead in the bottom of the first inning. Cole McConnell (2-for-4, 2 RBI, HR) lifted the Bulldogs to a 2-0 lead following a two-run home run to right field, scoring Kasten Furr. Next, Jorge Corona (1-for-5, 2 RBI, HR) sent a ball to center field off the batter's eye, sending in two runs for Tech and extending the lead to 4-0 after the first inning. Senior Michael Ballard gave Tech's lead a cushion after singling up the middle and sending Adarius Myers (3-for-5, 2B) home while putting the game at 5-0 in the third inning. However, the Gamecocks scored a run, which Hudson Walburn reached home plate following an error by Grant Comeaux. 

Then Louisiana Tech poured on seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. Tech's scoring run started with a pair of doubles from Ballard and Comeaux, in which Ballard earned an RBI because Comeaux scored on the play. A Logan McLeod RBI single to right field sent Ballard home, growing Tech's lead to 7-1. Eventually, the Bulldogs would load the bases, causing Dalton Davis to notch in a two-RBI single to the left side of the field, turning the game to 9-1. Immediately after, Ethan Bates (2-for-4, 3 RBI, HR, BB) crushed a ball over the right field wall, earning Tech three more runs and a 12-1 lead in the fifth inning. 

Later Jax State gained ground on Tech's lead from a Brennen Norton two-run home run to right field. Norton sent another ball over the fence with a three-run blast to left field, making the game 12-6 in the seventh. Meanwhile, the Gamecocks batted in two extra runs in the top of the eighth after a two-RBI double from Gabe Young, resulting in a score of 12-8. 

GAME TWO
During game two of the doubleheader, McConnell (3-for-5, 5 RBI, 3 HR) started strong, picking up another two-run homer in the first inning for the Bulldogs in game two. The Beaumont, Texas native, McConnell, hit home runs in back-to-back games of a doubleheader, which hasn't happened since April 16, 2022, when he did it against Marshall. The senior outfielder McConnell had 12 total bases in game two, which hasn't happened since Jorge Corona had ten against Sacramento State on March 28, 2023. After leading 2-0 in the first inning, McConnell extended Tech's lead to 4-0, following another two-run jack to center field. Two home runs from the same player in a game hasn't happened since Dalton Davis did it against UTSA on May 20, 2023. Then Ethan Bates (1-for-4, 2 RBI, HR) followed up with his two-run homer in the third, putting Tech up 6-0. Bates also joined McConnell, and following that, they both hit back-to-back home runs in both games of a doubleheader. 

Meanwhile, Jax State fought back in the game following an RBI single from Logan Walters in the fourth inning. Then Caleb Johnson's two-run homer to right field for the Gamecocks cut LA Tech's lead to 6-3 in the top of the fifth. However, McConnell hammered a ball to right center field, making it a 7-3 game. He became the first Bulldog since Tim Meadows against UNO on April 6, 2001, to have three home runs in a game. Later, Jax State earned another run from a bases-loaded RBI walk from Drew Collins in the top of the sixth inning. Then McLeod grew Tech's lead to 9-4, following a 2 RBI single, sending Comeaux and Myers home. 

Meanwhile, game one starting pitcher Luke Nichols(3-0) wrapped up his third victory because of his 5.1 innings of work and four-strikeout day on the mound. Then Bates earned his seventh save of the season following his one inning of relief duty. In addition, Tech's pitcher Reed Smith (2-2) secured victory in game two with five strikeouts and 5.0 innings of work. Senior Grant Hubka earned his first save on the season following a three-strike-out performance in 3.0 innings of relief. 

QUOTABLES 
Head Coach Lane Burroughs
" We set the tone in both games because the ball was flying today. You felt like no lead was safe with Jacksonville State. I thought Luke Nichols and Reed Smith both had great starts, which we needed today, and we had to use a lot of people in game one because they closed the gap. I thought Grant Hubka was outstanding in game two and kept us from having to use Ethan Bates and Sam Broderesen again. I thought our guys played well maybe the day off helped us."

UP NEXT 
Tech will look to wrap up the series against Jax State on Sunday with a 1:00 PM first pitch. Junior Turner Swistak will get the start on the mound for the Bulldogs. 

TICKET INFO. 
During the 2024 season, a limited number of single-game reserved chairback tickets may be available on a game-by-game basis. Any opportunities for unclaimed single-game tickets will go on sale, if available, no earlier than 24 hours before the scheduled first pitch.

Single-game standing-room only and right-field berm tickets are also available on a game-by-game basis for $15. 

To purchase a fan can, stop by the LA Tech Baseball Box Office at J.C. Love Field, open two hours before the first pitch, or visit LATechSports.com/Tickets.

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