Baseball
LA Tech 5, Rice 3 (Friday)
LA Tech 9, Rice 3 (Saturday)
LA Tech 3, Rice 1 (Sunday)
Bulldog head coach Lane Burroughs has been looking for some consistency in the starting rotation during Conference USA weekend series.
He got it.
Cade Gibson, Ryan Jennings and Jonathan Fincher were all in total control leading the Bulldogs (23-10, 9-3 C-USA) to a three-game sweep over the Rice Owls this weekend at JC Love Field at Pat Patterson Park.
The entire Tech staff held the Owls to just seven total runs in 27 innings over the weekend as all three starters went at least 6.0 innings. Bulldog hurlers combined to strike out 40 Owls during the three games, including a career-high 14 by Jennings on Saturday and a career-high 10 by Gibson on Friday.
“I thought Gibson was outstanding,” said Burroughs following Friday’s 5-3 win. “He had 10 strikeouts. He got the pitch count up with the strikeouts and walks so in the seventh we had to make a move.”
“The player of the game is Ryan Jennings with 14 punchouts over seven innings with no walks,” said Burroughs after Saturday’s win.
“Fincher was really good. We needed a great start out of him and he gave it to us,” said Burroughs following Sunday’s victory.
See a pattern?
Kyle Crigger picked up two more saves, closing Friday and Sunday’s wins.
Offensively, the Bulldogs hit five home runs over the weekend, including two by Steele Netterville and one each by Jorge Corona, Walker Burchfield and Adarius Myers.
Tech hosts Northwestern State Tuesday at 6 p.m.
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Softball
Lady Techsters 8, Nicholls State 3 (Friday)
Lady Techsters 6, Nicholls State 5 (Saturday – Game 1)
Lady Techsters 8, Nicholls State 0 (Saturday – Game 2)
The Lady Techsters capped a perfect 5-0 week on the diamond with a three-game sweep over Nicholls State in a non-conference series at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
Tech won in about every imaginable way during the weekend.
On Friday night, the Techsters (27-15) used a 5-run bottom of the sixth – capped by a two-run bomb by Brooke Diaz – to pull away for the win.
On Saturday in game one, Tech rallied late from a three-run deficit, plating two runs in the bottom of the seventh to pick up the victory.
Tech then left little doubt in game two Saturday, run-ruling the Colonels in five innings.
“I am proud of them,” said head coach Josh Taylor. “All of them. To go 5-0 this week with three wins coming by run rule says a lot about where this team is right now. We are starting to get production throughout the lineup.”
Lauren Menzina, Audrey Pickett and Emma Hutchinson all picked up wins over the weekend with Hutchinson tossing a two-hit, 5-inning shutout in the final game of the series.
Freshman Sierra Sacco continued her impressive rookie campaign with six hits, including four in the third game while Lindsay Edwards, Brooke Diaz, and Amanda Gonzalez all homered over the weekend.
