RUSTON – The Bulldogs took Game 1 of the weekend series against the South Alabama Jaguars, 6-5, on Friday at the Love Shack. The victory earned head coach
Lane Burroughs his 400th career win.
After notching consecutive run-rule shutouts over Nicholls earlier in the week, LA Tech entered the game with 14 consecutive innings without allowing a run. The Bulldog defense extended that streak to 22 by holding South Alabama scoreless through eight innings of Friday's contest.
Grant Hubka gave the 'Dogs his best outing of the year thus far, tossing six scoreless frames while allowing three hits, three walks and striking out eight Jaguars batters. His eight punchouts set a new single-game high as a Bulldog for the graduate righty.
The Gretna, Nebraska native's six innings is also his longest outing during his three-year career at Louisiana Tech.
Following a hit-by-pitch on the game's first batter, South Alabama was held in check after a flyout, a runner caught stealing and a strikeout sent the 'Dogs to the home half of the opening frame.
Cade Patterson led off for Tech drawing a four-pitch walk before
Garrison Berkley was hit by a pitch on an 0-2 count to put runners on first and second with no outs.
Colton Coates then ripped a base hit through the right side of the infield to load the bases with one out, allowing
Sebastian Mexico to bring in the contest's first run on a sacrifice fly to right field.
Grant Hubka retired the Jaguars' side in order in the second on eight pitches, giving the Bulldogs a chance to increase their advantage early in the game.
Will Safford belted his first homer of the season and the 11th of his Bulldog career after
Trey Hawsey reached base on a one-out single, making it a 3-0 ballgame. The very next at-bat,
Cade Patterson went to the opposite-field side for his fourth long ball this year to give the Diamond 'Dogs a four-run lead going into the third.
As Hubka carried Tech through the third and fourth innings keeping the Jaguars at bay, the Bulldogs increased their lead to five on an RBI knock by Coates. Two at-bats prior, Berkley had reached third base on a single, a stolen base and advancing on a wide throw to second by the South Alabama catcher. The switch-hitting Coates then hit what appeared to be a pop up but found a green patch between the South Alabama center fielder, shortstop and second baseman to score Tech's center fielder.
Mexico's second sacrifice fly of the day in the sixth made it a 6-0 game before the scoring became stagnant between the two programs through the seventh and eighth innings.
In the top of the ninth, South Alabama's lineup found new life after a leadoff strikeout. A single, a double and a wild pitch allowed the Jaguars' first run of the game to cross the plate before a sacrifice fly made it 6-2 and one out away from a final score. A pinch-hit walk and a pair of singles loaded the bases and forced Tech to make a pitching change.
An RBI single and a wild pitch made it a two-run game and gave the Jaguars a fighting chance down to their final out. Their deficit was then cut to just one run after a fielding mishap allowed a runner to make it home. The late-game exhilaration did not stop there as South Alabama's coach was ejected for arguing a strike call made by the home plate umpire. After the dust settled,
Blake Hooks dusted the final batter of the game for a swinging strikeout and snagging his fourth save of the year.
Head Coach Lane Burroughs' comments after securing his 400th career win:
"Obviously the ninth inning got crazy, but good teams find a way to win and we're playing good baseball. I know it was kind of chaotic and a circus there in the ninth—credit to their team for not quitting and keep fighting. I thought Hubka was outstanding. I told him myself yesterday, 'we need to have a really good start on Friday.' We hadn't played good on Friday night since the opening weekend, and he was electric [tonight]. Obviously six innings of shutout ball—I think our pitchers have gone 22-straight innings of no runs; you can't do much better than that. You hate that they lost that streak, but it's a win. But Grant was outstanding., I thought we were going to send him out in the seventh, but he had to work hard in the sixth and his pitch count got up. I thought Connor [Nation] was good as well, he's coming off a groin injury. Forsythe—the ball was exploding out of his hand [and] things happen. They only hit one ball out of the infield for a double, but their guys kept fighting. We've all been around enough ball, when things start spinning it's hard to stop it. But I credit
Blake Hooks for keeping his composure and finding a way to get that last pun chout because it wasn't looking good. But good teams find a way to win when it's not looking good. The main thing is we've won three in a row, we won on Friday night and we're playing good baseball. I thought we swung the bat extremely well, I thought we pitched it good, and I thought we defended for the most part. So, ninth inning aside, we're playing really good baseball right now."
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