RUSTON – The Diamond 'Dogs (22-16, 9-6 CUSA) remain on their hot streak after defeating Little Rock (20-17, 8-4 OVC), 9-3, at the Love Shack on Tuesday to extend their winning streak to seven games. It is currently the longest active winning streak among all Conference USA teams.

LA Tech has a seven-game winning streak for the first time since 2024, when it happened on three separate occasions. The Bulldogs started that season off 12-0, saw a streak of seven wins from April 21 to May 3, and again with winning the last six games of the regular season and the opener of the CUSA Tournament.  
 
The 'Dogs struck first after drawing four-straight walks with two outs to score the first run of the game. After the first two batters were retired on a strikeout and a fly out, Colton Coates drew a walk on a full count before Eli Berch walked on four pitches and Matt Houston walked on five.
 
With Berch's walk, he extends out to a team-leading 11-game reached-base streak, which is tied for the fourth-longest streak by a Bulldog this season.
 
Wesley Scott drew a full count before walking to give Tech a 1-0 lead. Following a pitching change by Little Rock, Casey McCoy drove in two runs with a single and Cade Patterson capped off the four-run frame with an RBI knock flared over the shortstop.
 
With McCoy's hit, he extends his hitting streak to five games.
 
The Trojans answered back with a solo homer to lead off the second and added a baserunner with a walk the next at-bat, but a fielder's choice, strikeout and a line out ended the frame.
 
Blake Hooks made his first appearance since March 22 after coming in relief for Drew Ferguson, who tossed two innings striking out two and allowing a run on two hits and a walk. Hooks allowed one hit in the third yet induced a pair of groundouts and a looking strikeout to get out of the inning unscathed.
 
McCoy led off the fourth with his second hit of the contest, giving him his third-straight multi-hit game.
 
Little Rock led off the fifth with a single before losing their baserunner on the Bulldogs' 29th double play this season. A pair of first-pitch singles followed before a fielder's choice force out at third left them stranded.
 
Little Rock's Angel Cano, who hit the first homer for the Trojans in the second, belted his second solo shot with one out in the sixth to cut Tech's lead to 4-2. That would be all the damage Little Rock would produce in the frame as Connor Nation punched out the final two batters to end the top half.
 
A Scott single, hit-by-pitch to McCoy and Cade Patterson reaching on a fielder's choice loaded the bases in the bottom of the sixth with no outs. Tech's lead was then pushed out to three on a sacrifice fly hit to right by Brecken Menuet, bringing in Scott to score.
 
Lunsford drew a 3-2 count the next at-bat before splitting the right-center gap and bringing in a pair of runs before Trey Hawsey beat out an infield single, allowing Lunsford to score and give the 'Dogs an 8-2 lead going into the seventh.
 
The 'Dogs extended their advantage out to seven runs the next inning on consecutive hits from McCoy and Patterson. McCoy ripped a one-out double to the left field corner before scoring on an RBI single by Patterson, and Patterson advancing to second after the left fielder bobbled the ball on the play.
 
The Trojans put runners on the corners with a pair of singles to lead off the eighth, and added their third run of the night with a sacrifice fly to center for the second out of the inning. A passed ball put a runner in scoring position, but the second strikeout of the frame by Luke Nichols ended the threat.
 
Nate Crider earned the winning decision on the mound for his first victory of the season, improving to an overall 5-1 on his Bulldog career. Hawsey extended his hitting streak to seven games, the longest active streak on the team.
 
The Bulldogs hit the road to return to CUSA play this weekend, traveling to Kennesaw, Georgia for a three-game series with the Kennesaw State Owls. The series opener is set for Friday, April 17 at 5 p.m. CT.
 
Quotables
 
Head Coach Lane Burroughs:
"It was the second-straight Tuesday I thought we played really good baseball. Drew Ferguson gave us a good start—we knew we were going to use a lot of arms tonight. We got some guys in the ball game that hadn't been out there in quite some time. I think seeing Blake Hooks back in the game energized our team, I know it did to me. He's worked extremely hard to get back, and he said he wanted to pitch tonight. To get to where we want to go and to finish this thing strong, we're going to need Blake. I thought he threw the ball really good—I know he gave up the one hit, but for the most part he was in the strike zone. That's the biggest concern when someone has a long layoff is what their command is going to be like. I thought Joey Wittig at the end was very good, he hadn't pitched in a while. And Caleb Short—he's an Arkansas native, so I know it meant a lot to him to pitch tonight against Little Rock. I thought we defended the field very well. That's what I'm most proud of—we had no errors. We had some big hits tonight as well. They really helped us out in the first with the four walks, but I thought our hitters did a good job of being selective at the plate. I thought our guys answered the bell—Lunsford had the big double to drive in two. And then Cade Patterson had a great hit and great baserunning to tag up at first and get in scoring position. Casey McCoy is continuing to swing the hot bat—I'm just really pleased with the way we played overall tonight."
 
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