MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The Diamond 'Dogs (5-1) returned to their winning ways on Friday at FedExPark in Memphis, securing a shutout 6-0 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1) for their first 9-inning shutout since March 2, 2024 with a 12-0 shutout win over Creighton.
 
The Bulldogs' win over Ohio State marked the first win over a Power 4 team for Tech since February 28, 2023 with a 6-5 win over Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi.
 
It was a lackluster start at the plate for both sides with neither team able to push across a run through the first four frames of the contest. The Bulldogs threatened early after Trey Hawsey drew a walk and Colby Lunsford doubled to put runners on second and third with one out, but a strikeout and a fly out left both runners stranded.
 
The Buckeyes created some traffic in their half of the first, recording back-to-back base hits and a four-pitch walk to load the bases before a swinging strikeout delivered by Declan Dahl left the bases full with nothing across.
 
A base hit and a walk was how Ohio State started off the second before a throwback to second from Eli Berch forced a rundown and put the lead runner away with a 1-6-5-4 putout, but the runner behind was able to safely advance to second.
 
His time on the basepath did not last long as he was picked off by Dahl and unable to return to second safely, giving the Bulldog defense two outs with no one on base. A double followed, but a popup to Colton Coates ended the second inning.
 
The second-inning double for Ohio State was the final hit they would manage for the remainder of the game, along with the final 13 batters being retired in order.
 
LA Tech attempted to put a run across in the third after Coates drew a walk followed with a base hit by Hawsey. Sebastian Mexico hit a two-out single softly through the right side of the infield, giving Coates a chance to score, but the throw from the Ohio State right fielder was on target to get him out at the plate.
 
The fourth inning was quiet as both sides were retired in order, but Zeb Ruddell led off the fifth with a 422-foot homer over the right field fence to put the 'Dogs out in front and score the first run of the day with his first round-tripper of 2026. Casey McCoy followed with a base hit before Coates doubled to the right-center gap on an 0-1 count to put runners on second and third with no outs.
 
Hawsey earned an RBI on a groundout to the left side, scoring McCoy to make it a 2-0 lead in the top of the fifth.
 
From the third to the fifth inning, Ohio State only managed a pair of baserunners on a walk and a hit by pitch, but Dahl held the lineup in check by not allowing a runner in scoring position for the final three innings of his start on the mound.
 
The Azle, Texas native ended the day with five scoreless innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out three Buckeye batters en route to improving to a 2-0 record.
 
Riley Fisher was more than efficient in his second bullpen appearance, tossing four perfect innings and punching out seven batters on just 48 pitches. The redshirt junior southpaw struck out the first batter he saw in the sixth and picked up a pair of swinging strikeouts to start the bottom half of the seventh.
 
Berch and Cade Patterson reached base in the top of the eighth on a base hit and a four-pitch walk before Wesley Scott picked up his first double and first two RBI as a Bulldog, giving the 'Dogs a 4-0 lead.
 
A pair of flyouts and backwards K was how the Ohio State side went in the bottom of the eighth before Hawsey homered and Mexico pulled an RBI triple down the right field line to extend Tech's lead to six runs going into the ninth.
 
Fisher put the exclamation point on Friday's contest by striking out the side on 14 pitches and secure a victory for the Bulldogs to open play in the Grind City Classic.
 
LA Tech returns to play on Saturday, February 21 at 12 p.m. CT to face the host Memphis Tigers at FedExPark, followed by a second matchup with the Buckeyes later in the afternoon starting at 5 p.m. CT.
 
Quotables
 
Head Coach Lane Burroughs:
"I didn't realize this, but Coach Fouts just told me they didn't get a hit after the second inning. Riley Fisher was amazing. Before we scored the two runs in the top half of the ninth, I was thinking about making a change on the mound. That was unchartered waters for Riley—he hasn't been in that situation since playing at the Division I level, and man he never blinked. He was lights out, that was good stuff. There's no other way to say it. He filled up the zone with all three of his pitches. I'm very proud of Riley, and Declan Dahl had a great day as well. I told Declan after our loss the other night that we needed him to go out there and do his thing, and I thought he was amazing. Declan was getting some traffic early on, but he was able to make an in-game adjustment and after that, they couldn't do anything. If they don't score, it's hard to lose. The pickoff in the second inning was huge. They had their inning set up to do some damage, and those two defensive plays were huge. Every game, every inning, every pitch takes on a life of its own. You never know when the game is hanging in the balance, and it was probably hanging in the balance right there. We were able to get out of that and then Zeb got a run for us on a solo swing, great swing by him. It was a big-league strike zone, so a lot of guys had to make adjustments. We punched out too many times—when you're going against a tough Friday night guy, there's going to be casualties. There's going to be strikeouts. But I was so proud of our guys, they hung in there and kept getting quality at-bat after quality at-bat. Our defense was outstanding, and it has been. Another game with no errors—our goal is to field .970 [fielding percentage] or better. That's our goal every year, and so far so good."
 
SUPPORT LA TECH ATHLETICS
Championships require championship resources.  Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the Bulldog Community Outreach which is the NIL collective that supports Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes. Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.  
 
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand.  You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents.  By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way.  Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today. You bark. We bark. Louder together.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Baseball, follow us on X (@LATechBSB), Instagram (@LATechBSB), and Facebook (LATechBSB).