BATON ROUGE, La. – The Diamond 'Dogs (15-11, 4-2 CUSA) fell in Tuesday night's contest, 15-5 in eight innings, to LSU (17-9, 2-4 SEC) at Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field in Baton Rouge.
 
Cade Patterson led off the contest with a walk, reaching base safely for the fourth-straight game and extending his reached base streak to a team-high 15 games. It is the longest reached base streak recorded by a Bulldog since Garrison Berkley ended the 2025 season with a 16-game reached base streak.
 
Colby Lunsford muscled a base hit on a full count to right, with Patterson rounding second for a chance to put himself 90 feet from home plate. A rocket throw from the right fielder was a little too wide for the LSU third baseman, and ran into the Louisiana Tech dugout to score Patterson and put Lunsford on third.
 
Trey Hawsey drove in Lunsford with a groundout to the right side, giving Tech a 2-0 lead heading into the home half of the opening frame.
 
LSU drew a walk to lead off followed with an error to put runners on first and second with no outs. A one-out groundout advanced the two lead runners before a base knock up the middle of the infield tied the game at 2-2.
 
Another two-spot in the second by the Tigers gave them a 4-2 lead. LSU led off with a single before a one-out double put two runners on second and third, followed with both runners scoring on a two-out single sharply hit to left field.
 
An advancement via wild pitch put a runner on second for LSU, who eventually was allowed to score after a fielding error to give the Tigers a 5-2 lead in the second. The two-out barrage continued for the home side by loading the bases on a walk and a hit-by-pitch, and extending their lead out by four runs on a bases-loaded walk.
 
With all bases occupied, a wild pitch ensued to allow LSU's fifth run of the frame to come across, but a strikeout put an end to the damage and left a pair of runners stranded.
 
Hudson Rowan delivered the first scoreless frame for Tech's pitching staff in the third. Outside of allowing a leadoff walk the junior southpaw drew a sacrifice bunt groundout, a fly out and a looking strikeout to send the contest to the fourth inning.
 
Caleb Short served a second-straight goose egg in the bottom of the fourth in just his second collegiate appearance. The freshman righty fanned a pair of batters and left a pair stranded after allowing a walk and a hit in his inning of work.
 
A solo shot in the fifth from LSU gave them an 8-2 lead. The 'Dogs threatened to plate their first run since the first in the top half, with Lunsford doubling and Hawsey ripping a single to put two runners on with one out, but a double play ended the threat and the frame.
 
LSU's offense continued in the fifth with an RBI double off the left field wall to lead by seven entering the sixth. The 'Dogs cut the deficit back down to six with a run scored in the top of the sixth. Wesley Scott led off with a walk and advanced 90 feet via wild pitch, followed with a two-out pinch-hit double down the left field line by Reid Snider to score Scott.
 
Drew Ferguson tossed a scoreless sixth and seventh innings, allowing just a leadoff single in the sixth before retiring the next six LSU hitters, three of which were sat down on a strikeout.
 
Tech looked to adjust the complexion of the game, scoring two runs in the eighth to cut the Tigers' lead to just four. Colton Coates led off with a walk and a double from Scott put two runners in scoring position with no outs.
 
A four-pitch walk was drawn by Matt Houston to load the bases before a one-out fielder's choice hit by Nathan Houston plated the 'Dogs' fourth run of the day before a pinch-hit two-out double by Reid Snider made it a 9-5 game going into the bottom of the eighth.
 
However, the momentum LA Tech picked up quickly faded with a three-run blast by the Tigers to take a 12-5 lead in the home half. An infield hit and a HBP followed the homer before a wild pitch was thrown to put both runners on second and third. LSU then cashed in with a bloop single over the left side of the infield, scoring both runners to extend their lead out to 14-5.
 
The following plate appearance, LSU hit a double deep off the center field wall, scoring a run on a close play at home where the throw beat the runner, but the runner was called safe. Tech made a challenge on the call, but it was upheld and the game was ruled over.
 
Lunsford was the only 'Dog with a multi-hit game, marking his 10th multi-hit performance of the season—just one shy of Hawsey's team-leading 11. Coates extended his reached-base streak to 10 games after drawing a pair of walks.
 
LA Tech returns home for CUSA play, hosting the Jacksonville State Gamecocks at the Love Shack with the series opening on Friday, March 27. First pitch to open the series is set for 6 p.m. CT.
 
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