RUSTON – The Diamond 'Dogs (32-22, 18-10 CUSA) take the series opener of their final regular season weekend of 2026, outlasting Sam Houston (23-31, 12-16 CUSA), 2-1, Thursday night at the Love Shack.
 
With Tech's win and a loss suffered by Liberty, the 'Dogs are a game back from a tie for second in the Conference USA standings with the Flames and Missouri State, who both hold 19-9 marks in league play going into Friday. Tech currently sits in a tie for fourth with Dallas Baptist, who had a run-rule victory at home over Jacksonville State to open their series on Thursday.
 
Just two hits marked the scoreboard through the opening third of Friday's contest—a two-out single in the first by Colton Coates and a two-out knock in the second from Wesley Scott. Declan Dahl had a strong start on the mound, striking out five Bearkats through the first two frames and allowing just one walk in the first inning.
 
Sam Houston saw a second baserunner in the first reaching on an error, but Dahl's third punchout of the day left them stranded.
 
The righty from Azle, Texas added two more strikeouts in the second and one to start the third, retiring six-straight before giving up a two-out solo homer in the third to break up the scoreless tie.
 
Sam Houston carried their 1-0 lead into the fifth before Casey McCoy's fifth homer of the season led off the frame to bring the game even. The 'Dogs left the bases loaded, yet managed to take the lead in the following frame.
 
A leadoff double ripped by Wesley Scott led off the sixth before a bunt single from Cade Patterson gave Tech runners on the corners with no outs. McCoy drove the first pitch of his at-bat to deep center, allowing Scott to score the go-ahead run with ease and put the 'Dogs ahead.
 
Luke Nichols gave the 'Dogs two scoreless frames on the mound, allowing just one hit and one walk while fanning three Bearkat hitters.
 
Thomas Allen made quick work out of the bullpen to start the eighth, retiring the first two batters faced on just three pitches. A baserunner was allowed on a four-pitch walk before a fielder's choice left him stranded, keeping the 'Dogs out front with a one-run lead.
 
The freshman reliever picked up his fifth save of the season after striking out the Sam Houston side in the ninth, giving the 'Dogs a series-opening win in front of the home crowd.
 
With Wesley Scott's base hit in the eighth, he notched his first three-hit performance as a Bulldog, and combined with Coates for five of Tech's seven hits on the night. With McCoy's two RBI, he has his seventh multi-RBI game of the year.
 
Dahl picked up his 10th start of the season with at least five innings and six strikeouts, and Nichols earned his third win of the season out of the bullpen.
 
Game 2 of the series is set for Friday, May 15 at 6 p.m. at the Love Shack.
 
Quotables
 
Head Coach Lane Burroughs:
"That was a grinder, a really good ball game. Two really good pitchers going at each other—it's a real Friday night atmosphere, even though we're playing on Thursday. After talking with all the coaches in the league, the three names we hear over and over again are Ben Blair, Declan Dahl and Ryan Peterson. We were warned by every coach that we better be ready for Peterson, and he was true to form tonight. I think he lived up to the hype, was landing all of his pitches—he knows how to pitch. We knew it was going to be a handful—obviously, Declan made one mistake and they drove it out of the yard. You knew there wasn't going to be a lot of runs scored tonight. I thought, defensively, we made some unbelievable plays. They're built on speed—they've attempted 150 stolen bases, and I thought our guys did a great job of minimizing that. I thought Casey McCoy made some outstanding plays on the run. We kept them off base so they couldn't play their style of game. I thought Declan was outstanding—seven punchouts and five through the first two innings. I thought he was dealing and his stuff was as good as it has been all year. Luke Nichols was phenomenal. They had a couple of lefties coming up in the seventh, and he cruised through that frame. And then I thought Thomas was phenomenal at the end of the game. He just continues to do it over and over again, it's amazing. When you think about it, a freshman that was a late sign and he's one of the best dudes in the league, if not the country, as a freshman to come in and close out ball games. He's just oozing with confidence—he never gets sped up or rattled, he lands his pitches. They took the timeout on the final out, the fans are going crazy, and it didn't faze him. He didn't blink. We had a great crowd tonight on a Thursday. I want to thank our fans for coming out—Thursday is a tough night to get out to the ballpark, but it was a tremendous crowd. Casey McCoy got us going and then he gets the sac fly, so he gets both RBI. Two guys that have been scuffling recently—Wesley Scott and Cade Patterson, and Wes has three hits and scored the winning run. I thought Cade's bunt to get Wesley to third base was one of the best bunts we've seen all year long. There's more than one way to help your team win—you can bring more than one skill to the team, and that's why those guys are still in the lineup and they helped us win the game."
 
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