Saturday, April 4
Miami, Fla.
2 p.m.
Louisiana Tech University
17-16, 6-6
4
at
3
FIU
10-22, 2-10
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Tech | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 9 | 0 |
| FIU | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
Photo by: Drew Parsley
Strong Bullpen Performance Lifts Bulldogs To Series Win
4/4/2026 8:31:00 PM | Baseball
LA Tech held FIU to just one run across the final eight frames to secure their second series win in CUSA play.
MIAMI, Fla. – The Diamond 'Dogs (17-16, 6-6 CUSA) are heading back to The Boot with a series win over FIU (10-22, 2-10 CUSA) after taking a gritty 4-3 10-inning win Saturday afternoon at the FIU Baseball Stadium in Miami. This was also the first extra-inning CUSA victory for the Bulldogs since a 12-8 11-inning win at Liberty on May 17 in the first contest of a doubleheader.
FIU took a 1-0 lead on a two-out RBI knock following a one-out double to get a runner in scoring position. The Panthers' lead doubled on an RBI groundout, but Tech broke through in the third to tie the game with a two-spot.
Colby Lunsford led off with a walk and a Trey Hawsey single put runners on the corners with no outs. Colton Coates reached on a fielder's choice and scored Lunsford before an RBI two-bagger from Eli Berch tied the game.
Luke Nichols had a dominant performance out of the mound, retiring the first 12 batters in order that he saw to begin his outing. The Panthers snapped their hitless streak on a two-out infield hit that deflected off of Nichols' glove. However, the runner was left stranded with a lineout to left.
The 'Dogs snapped the tie score in the seventh on a clutch two-out RBI single from Berch. Brecken Menuet was on second with one out after drawing a walk and advancing on a groundout. A flyout deep enough to center allowed the Bulldog shortstop to advance 90 feet before a pitching change was made.
Coates drew a four-pitch walk before Berch drove in Menuet on an 0-1 count to take the lead.
Nichols showcased his best inning of the day in the seventh, striking out the FIU side to give him five strikeouts on the day, tying for the game high.
The Panthers swiftly put pressure on the 'Dogs in the eighth, loading the bases on a base hit and a pair of bunt singles. A four-pitch walk tied the game at 3-3, but a heads-up play by Lunsford kept the Panthers from taking the lead.
The graduate third baseman had a hard line drive ricochet off his glove and into the grass, and he jumped on the ball and fired a throw to home for the force out. A pinch hitter then popped up to Coates at second followed with Connor Nation leaving three runners stranded with a strikeout to end the frame.
The Bulldogs found an unconventional way to score their go-ahead run in the top of the 10th, beginning with Wesley Scott getting hit in the foot to give the Bulldogs a baserunner with one out. Hayden Gustavson added a runner for Tech with a sharply hit ball past the third baseman that was ruled an error.
McCann Libby entered as a pinch runner for Scott and put himself 90 feet from home after jumping on a pitch in the dirt and away from the catcher. Cade Patterson drew a walk to load the bases, with Libby scoring on a subsequent wild pitch on the first pitch of the next at-bat to put the 'Dogs out front.
Riley Fisher entered the game out of the pen in the ninth and left a pair of runners stranded. The lefty reliever struck out the first batter he faced in the 10th before putting two runners on with a hit-by-pitch and a walk.
A flyout put the 'Dogs one out away from a series victory, and a dramatic groundout to Hawsey at first ultimately ended the game. The home plate umpire had initially called foul off the batter's foot, but the play appeared to continue as Hawsey fielded the ball and tagged first to secure the out.
After a brief conference between the officiating crew, the ball was ruled fair and in play, and the ball game was over.
This was LA Tech's first win over FIU in Miami since the 2017 season, taking the first two games of the series that year.
Coates picked up his second multi-hit game of the season while also drawing a pair of walks, tying Patterson for the team high after the right fielder drew three on the day. Berch also picked up his fifth multi-hit game in this year's CUSA contests and second multi-RBI game of the year.
Nichols' 5 1/3 innings marked a new season high while tying his season high of five strikeouts.
The Bulldogs are back in action in their home state on Tuesday, April 7
Quotables
Head Coach Lane Burroughs:
"It was gritty, gutsy—a lot of adjectives for this one. It wasn't pretty, it was gritty and we'll take gritty over pretty any day. We're in a place where we need all the wins we can get, and to go on the road and win a conference series—it's hard. To win any game is hard, but to go on the road is even harder, especially in a place like this. I'm proud of these guys. We put Eli Berch in as a designated hitter at the last minute, and he comes up with three big RBIs for us—that was huge. What can you say about Luke Nichols? He was competitive—we don't win today without him. I can't say enough about Connor Nation—that's twice this year he's come in with the bases loaded, nobody out, and got out of it with minimal damage. Obviously, he has no trouble with inheriting runners and getting into a high-leverage situation, which is why we went with him. Riley Fisher was good at the very end as well. I thought he made a good adjustment today and found a way to get it done. A win is a win, and I'm very proud of this team."
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).
FIU took a 1-0 lead on a two-out RBI knock following a one-out double to get a runner in scoring position. The Panthers' lead doubled on an RBI groundout, but Tech broke through in the third to tie the game with a two-spot.
Colby Lunsford led off with a walk and a Trey Hawsey single put runners on the corners with no outs. Colton Coates reached on a fielder's choice and scored Lunsford before an RBI two-bagger from Eli Berch tied the game.
Luke Nichols had a dominant performance out of the mound, retiring the first 12 batters in order that he saw to begin his outing. The Panthers snapped their hitless streak on a two-out infield hit that deflected off of Nichols' glove. However, the runner was left stranded with a lineout to left.
The 'Dogs snapped the tie score in the seventh on a clutch two-out RBI single from Berch. Brecken Menuet was on second with one out after drawing a walk and advancing on a groundout. A flyout deep enough to center allowed the Bulldog shortstop to advance 90 feet before a pitching change was made.
Coates drew a four-pitch walk before Berch drove in Menuet on an 0-1 count to take the lead.
Nichols showcased his best inning of the day in the seventh, striking out the FIU side to give him five strikeouts on the day, tying for the game high.
The Panthers swiftly put pressure on the 'Dogs in the eighth, loading the bases on a base hit and a pair of bunt singles. A four-pitch walk tied the game at 3-3, but a heads-up play by Lunsford kept the Panthers from taking the lead.
The graduate third baseman had a hard line drive ricochet off his glove and into the grass, and he jumped on the ball and fired a throw to home for the force out. A pinch hitter then popped up to Coates at second followed with Connor Nation leaving three runners stranded with a strikeout to end the frame.
The Bulldogs found an unconventional way to score their go-ahead run in the top of the 10th, beginning with Wesley Scott getting hit in the foot to give the Bulldogs a baserunner with one out. Hayden Gustavson added a runner for Tech with a sharply hit ball past the third baseman that was ruled an error.
McCann Libby entered as a pinch runner for Scott and put himself 90 feet from home after jumping on a pitch in the dirt and away from the catcher. Cade Patterson drew a walk to load the bases, with Libby scoring on a subsequent wild pitch on the first pitch of the next at-bat to put the 'Dogs out front.
Riley Fisher entered the game out of the pen in the ninth and left a pair of runners stranded. The lefty reliever struck out the first batter he faced in the 10th before putting two runners on with a hit-by-pitch and a walk.
A flyout put the 'Dogs one out away from a series victory, and a dramatic groundout to Hawsey at first ultimately ended the game. The home plate umpire had initially called foul off the batter's foot, but the play appeared to continue as Hawsey fielded the ball and tagged first to secure the out.
After a brief conference between the officiating crew, the ball was ruled fair and in play, and the ball game was over.
This was LA Tech's first win over FIU in Miami since the 2017 season, taking the first two games of the series that year.
Coates picked up his second multi-hit game of the season while also drawing a pair of walks, tying Patterson for the team high after the right fielder drew three on the day. Berch also picked up his fifth multi-hit game in this year's CUSA contests and second multi-RBI game of the year.
Nichols' 5 1/3 innings marked a new season high while tying his season high of five strikeouts.
The Bulldogs are back in action in their home state on Tuesday, April 7
Quotables
Head Coach Lane Burroughs:
"It was gritty, gutsy—a lot of adjectives for this one. It wasn't pretty, it was gritty and we'll take gritty over pretty any day. We're in a place where we need all the wins we can get, and to go on the road and win a conference series—it's hard. To win any game is hard, but to go on the road is even harder, especially in a place like this. I'm proud of these guys. We put Eli Berch in as a designated hitter at the last minute, and he comes up with three big RBIs for us—that was huge. What can you say about Luke Nichols? He was competitive—we don't win today without him. I can't say enough about Connor Nation—that's twice this year he's come in with the bases loaded, nobody out, and got out of it with minimal damage. Obviously, he has no trouble with inheriting runners and getting into a high-leverage situation, which is why we went with him. Riley Fisher was good at the very end as well. I thought he made a good adjustment today and found a way to get it done. A win is a win, and I'm very proud of this team."
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).
Players Mentioned
C
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
C/UTL
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF/OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballTeam Stats
Pitching:
W: Fisher, Riley (1-1)
L: Mason Koczwara (1-1)
Batting:
2B: Berch, Eli 1
RBI: Coates , Colton 1 ; Berch, Eli 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Lunsford, Colby 1 ; Coates , Colton 1 ; Libby, McCann 1 ; Menuet, Brecken 1
SB: Patterson , Cade 1
CS: Coates , Colton 1
HBP: Scott, Wesley 1
Batting:
2B: Samuel Fischer 1 ; Caden Sammler 1
RBI: Cole Cleveland 1 ; Aidan Cohall 1 ; Luca Reyes 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Samuel Fischer 1 ; Andrew Ildefonso 1 ; Caden Sammler 1
HBP: Samuel Fischer 1 ; Caden Sammler 1
Game Leaders
Wednesday, May 20
Saturday, May 16
Friday, May 15
Thursday, May 14
