RUSTON – The Diamond 'Dogs (15-15, 4-5 CUSA) fell on the losing side of Tuesday's midweek contest, 14-3, in seven innings to ULM (17-13, 6-3 Sun Belt) at the Love Shack.
 
The Bulldogs are .500 through their first 30 games of the season for the first time since 2023, when the 'Dogs finished the season with a 28-31 record.
 
Drew Ferguson began his first collegiate start retiring the side with a pair of strikeouts in the first, but ULM would scratch the first run of the game in the second. A leadoff single and two fielder's choice plays put runners on first and second followed with a two-out knock through the left side to give the Warhawks a 1-0 lead.
 
A one-out solo shot off the bat of Matt Houston tied it in the bottom of the second, taking the first pitch of his at-bat over 420 feet beyond the left-center wall. It was the Bulldog backstop's fifth homer of the year and his third four-bagger at the Love Shack.
 
ULM swiftly retook the lead in the third with a two-out two-run blast to left-center before a five-spot in the fourth gave the visitors an 8-1 lead.
 
A leadoff single and hit-by-pitch followed by a groundout gave the Warhawks two runners in scoring position with one out. A wild pitch scored a run followed with an RBI infield hit to give ULM a 5-1 lead before the next seven batters would reach safely on two HBPs, two walks and three singles to add six and increase to an 11-1 lead entering the bottom of the fourth.
 
The eight runs in the frame are the most the 'Dogs have allowed in an inning since May 4, 2025 when Tech allowed 12 in the first inning to Western Kentucky.
 
Tech cut into the deficit in the home half with a solo shot by Hayden Gustavson for his second long ball as a Bulldog, but the Warhawks matched it in the fifth with a sac fly to lead by 10.
 
Trey Hawsey cut the deficit to nine in the fifth with a solo blast for his 10th of the season, setting a new team high this season as well as a new single-season career high, surpassing his nine round trippers from his freshman year.
 
ULM led off the sixth with a single, double and RBI single to bring their lead back up to 10 followed with a sac fly to take a 14-3 advantage into the home half.
 
The 'Dogs hit the road to return to conference play, traveling to Miami for a three-game series at FIU, beginning on Thursday, April 2. First pitch of the series opener is set for 5 p.m. CT/6 p.m. ET.
 
Quotables
 
Head Coach Lane Burroughs:
"There's not a whole lot to talk about on our side positively. Give ULM credit—we knew coming in they had a really good offense, and their older guys are really producing for them. We knew, for a midweek game, we'd have our work cut out for us on the mound. The eight-spot is hard to overcome, extremely tough. Credit to them, they came in ready to play and put it on us tonight. I thought Hayden Gustavson played really well—three really good swings, running through the wall on a foul ball, throws a guy out at home—that's why he's in the lineup. That's all we're looking for—we're looking for guys that want to be out there and play hard every day, and he's one of them. So, he'll be out there for a while."
 
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