RUSTON – The Diamond 'Dogs (15-13, 4-4 CUSA) dropped their second weekend series of CUSA play after falling to Jacksonville State (23-5, 8-0 CUSA), 5-3, at the Love Shack on Saturday afternoon.
 
Both sides started the contest creating traffic through the first two frames, but neither were able to score. Jacksonville State led off the game reaching base on an error, but the side ended up being retired on a strikeout and a 4-3 double play turned by Casey McCoy.
 
The 'Dogs put a pair of runners on with two outs on a walk drawn by Colby Lunsford and a base hit by Colton Coates before a fielder's choice sent the game to the second frame.
 
The Gamecocks put a runner in scoring position with a two-out double, but left their first runner of the day stranded after Hudson Rowan picked up the third out on a looking strikeout.
 
Tech loaded the bases in the second with one out on a Hayden Gustavson walk, a single from Wesley Scott and a four-pitch walk drawn by Casey McCoy. A second consecutive four-pitch walk was drawn by Cade Patterson to score the first run of the day before a double play ended the 'Dogs' threat.
 
The lead was doubled in the third when Colby Lunsford led off with his ninth homer of the season, taking a pitch the opposite way and sneaking over the right field fence. The frame continued with a one-out walk and hit by pitch to give Tech runners on first and second.
 
A pitching change ensued, and the new hurler for JSU threw a wild pitch on his first throw to advance both runners 90 feet before a sacrifice fly gave the home club a 3-0 lead.
 
Jax State led off the fourth with a double before advancing to third on a wild pitch the following at-bat, with the Gamecocks batter driving him in with a sacrifice fly to center to put JSU's first run of the day on the board.
 
The Gamecocks cut it to a one-run lead for the 'Dogs with an RBI knock in the sixth. McCoy put himself 90 feet from home with a one-out triple in the bottom half with Patterson coming to bat. The Bulldog right fielder pulled a ball that was deep enough for a homer, but was called foul at the conclusion of an approximate seven-minute review by the officiating crew.
 
Patterson ultimately reached base on a fielder's choice before Lunsford loaded the bases with a two-out walk, but a shallow fly out ended the threat and sent the contest into the seventh.
 
Tech loaded the bases in the seventh for the third time in the contest with a trio of singles and a fielder's choice. Eli Berch led off with a knock through the left side of the infield before being pinch ran for by Zeb Ruddell. Sebastian Mexico attempted to advance Ruddell with a sac bunt, but hit it straight to the pitcher allowing him to get the lead runner out at second.
 
Back-to-back two-out singles from Scott and McCoy loaded the bases but a looking strikeout ended the inning.
 
A two-out solo homer from Jax State tied the game before the Gamecocks took a 4-3 lead with a go-ahead solo homer to lead off the ninth. The frame continued for JSU with a two-out walk and a throwing error allowing the runner to add an insurance run in the final frame.
 
The series finale is set for Sunday, March 29 at the Love Shack. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. CT. The game will be live streamed on ESPN+, and radio broadcast will be available on 97.7 FM, the LA Tech Athletics app and the Varsity Network app.
 
Quotables
 
Head Coach Lane Burroughs:
"I thought Hudson Rowan pitched outstanding today—I'm very proud of him. He gave us a chance to win, just like Declan Dahl did last night. I thought we came out with energy and got after it. But we took the lead in the third and then we don't score another run. We had bases loaded with one out in the middle of our order, and we don't scratch anything across. You won't win at this level if guys don't produce, and right now, that takes toughness and grit and that's what this program is built on. Right now, we're not showing a lot of it."
 
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