RUSTON – The Diamond 'Dogs (17-16, 6-6 CUSA) look to extend to a three-game winning streak as they head to Natchitoches to face the Northwestern State Demons (21-10, 13-5 Southland) on Tuesday, April 7 at Brown-Stroud Field. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. CT.
 
GAME INFORMATION
Date/Time: Apr. 7 (6 p.m. CT)
Location: Brown-Stroud Field (Natchitoches, La.)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen: 97.7 FM / LA Tech Athletics app / Varsity Network app
Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Series History: LA Tech leads 87-55 (since 1970)
 
Tuesday's contest marks the first time the Bulldogs playing on NSU's home diamond since March 12, 2024. That is when the Demons took a midweek contest, 11-5, before being swept by Tech in a weekend series in Ruston later that season.
 
The last time the 'Dogs won a game in Natchitoches dates back to May 4, 2022, taking a 4-3 win in front of just over 1,200 Demon fans. The Bulldogs are coming off their first road series win in CUSA play after dropping the series opener to FIU in Miami, marking the first series win over the Panthers on the road since 2017.
 
Eli Berch and Colton Coates are two of 10 players batting over .400 in league play, as well as being among the top 10 in on-base percentage in CUSA contests.
 
Trey Hawsey is slugging .654 for the 9th-best clip in CUSA play, and Colby Lunsford is among the top three in homers (5) and RBI (17), and has the fifth-most runs scored with 13.
 
Hawsey's four long balls in league games are tied for fourth and his 14 RBI are tied for eighth.
 
Colton Coates and Sebastian Mexico are currently tied for the most multi-hit games among active Bulldog hitters with 27, while Hawsey sits right behind both of them with 25. Mexico and Hawsey are tied for the most multi-RBI games among current Bulldogs with 15 each, and six total Bulldogs have at least 10 games with 2+ RBI in their LA Tech career.
 
The Demons enter Tuesday's contest among the top of the standings in the Southland Conference, boasting a 21-10 overall record and a 13-5 mark in league play. They also are on the longest active winning streak in their conference, having won their previous four contests.
 
NSU has won their previous five weekend series, including sweeps this past weekend over UTRGV at home and against Texas A&M – Corpus Christi March 13-15. After starting off the season 5-6 through their first 11 games, the Demons have turned it around and have won 16 of their previous 20 contests.
 
Thomas Marsala III has been one of the top producers for Chris Bertand's lineup, slashing .336/.547/.399 with a team-high 29 runs scored, eight homers and 33 runs driven in. Brooks Leonard is one of the Demons' best baserunners as he sits among the top five in the SLC with 13 stolen bases, and leads his team with 44 base hits and getting hit by a pitch 11 times this season.
 
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