Courtesy of LA Tech and GSU Athletic Communications
Tech Baseball takes road series at Kennesaw State
Louisiana Tech claimed its third straight Conference USA series victory by taking two of three games from Kennesaw State over the weekend at Mickey Dunn Stadium, capped by a 4-3 win Sunday.
The Bulldogs (24-17, 11-7 CUSA) opened the series Friday with a 6-3 victory that extended their winning streak to eight games before the Owls snapped the run with a 6-5 decision Saturday. Louisiana Tech rebounded in Sunday’s rubber match to secure the series.
On Friday, the Bulldogs jumped out early and never relinquished the lead.
Colton Coates tripled with two outs in the first inning before Eli Berch drove him home for a 1-0 lead. After Kennesaw State answered with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the inning, Tech responded with four runs in the second.
Wesley Scott scored on Hayden Gustavson’s RBI single before Colby Lunsford added another RBI hit. A wild pitch brought home another run and Trey Hawsey followed with an RBI single to push the advantage to 5-1.
Starting pitcher Declan Dahl dominated on the mound, striking out 13 batters over five innings. The outing marked the most strikeouts by a Bulldog since Ryan Jennings fanned 14 against Rice in 2022.
Tech added another run in the third when Gustavson drove in Scott, while Thomas Allen shut the door in relief with five strikeouts over the final 2 1/3 innings.
The Bulldogs’ pitching staff combined for 20 strikeouts in the opener.
Saturday’s middle game proved far more dramatic, featuring seven lead changes and three ties.
Kennesaw State scored first in the second inning, but Matt Houston answered with a leadoff home run in the third to tie the game at 1-1.
The Owls regained the lead before Colby Lunsford’s two-run homer in the fifth gave Louisiana Tech a 3-2 advantage. Kennesaw State answered immediately with a two-run shot of its own to move back in front.
The Bulldogs rallied again in the seventh. After loading the bases, Coates drove in the tying run with a sacrifice fly before a wild pitch allowed Lunsford to score and put Tech ahead 5-4.
The lead was short-lived as the Owls tied the game with a solo home run in the bottom of the inning and then took the lead for good in the eighth on a triple and sacrifice fly.
Despite outhitting Kennesaw State 10-8, Louisiana Tech suffered its first loss of the season when recording more hits than its opponent.
The Bulldogs bounced back Sunday behind strong pitching and timely hitting.
Neither team recorded a hit through the first two innings before Tech broke through in the third. Lunsford singled to start the rally, and Hawsey launched a two-run home run over the right-field wall to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.
Coates later tripled and scored on Berch’s RBI single as Louisiana Tech built a 3-0 cushion.
Landon Fontenot delivered a career-high five no-hit innings in his start, striking out seven while issuing five walks. Luke Nichols carried the no-hit bid into the seventh before Kennesaw State recorded its first hit on a leadoff triple.
The Owls eventually tied the game in the eighth with a two-run homer, but Louisiana Tech answered in the ninth.
Scott singled to lead off the inning and later scored the go-ahead run when Coates lifted a sacrifice fly to right field.
In the bottom of the ninth, Scott preserved the victory with a diving catch in left field that stranded the tying run on base.
The series win marked Louisiana Tech’s third straight CUSA series victory and continued a strong stretch in league play, with the Bulldogs winning seven of their last nine conference games.
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Bulldog Softball salvages final game of Sam Houston series
Louisiana Tech salvaged the finale of its three-game Conference USA series against Sam Houston with a 6-3 victory Sunday, avoiding a sweep after dropping the first two contests at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
The Bulldogs moved to 23-23 overall and 9-12 in conference play, while Sam Houston claimed the series behind wins of 6-1 on Friday and 7-4 on Saturday.
In Sunday’s finale, Louisiana Tech used a strong extra-base hitting performance to outlast the Bearkats. The Bulldogs tallied eight hits, six of which went for extra bases, including four doubles, a triple and a home run. Jina Baffuto and Alannah Rogers each recorded two hits, while Baffuto and Bradi Gallaway drove in three runs apiece.
Sam Houston struck first on a solo home run in the opening inning, but Louisiana Tech answered in the bottom half and never trailed again. The Bulldogs broke the game open in the fourth inning, scoring three runs highlighted by a two-run home run from Gallaway. Baffuto added a two-run double in the sixth to provide insurance.
Ruby Fidge earned the win in relief, allowing one run over three innings, while Bryannah Campos closed out the game despite a late push from the Bearkats.
The series opened Friday with a tightly contested matchup before Sam Houston pulled away late for a 6-1 win. The game was tied through five innings after Rogers led off the bottom of the first with a solo home run. However, the Bearkats scored five runs over the final two innings, including a go-ahead rally in the sixth and a two-run homer later in the frame to seize control.
Allie Floyd took the loss despite a strong outing, allowing four runs while striking out seven over 5.2 innings.
On Saturday, Sam Houston jumped out early and maintained control in a 7-4 victory. The Bearkats capitalized on defensive miscues to score three runs in the first inning and added three more in the second to build a 6-1 lead.
Louisiana Tech responded with four runs across the first three innings to cut the deficit to two, highlighted by RBI contributions from Elena Heng, Rosalie Dufresne, Rogers and Gracie Flores. However, the Bulldogs managed just one hit over the final four innings as Sam Houston’s pitching staff limited scoring opportunities down the stretch.
Laney Johnson took the loss in game two after allowing six runs, four earned, in 1.1 innings of work.
Despite the series loss, Louisiana Tech closed the weekend on a positive note with Sunday’s win and will look to build momentum heading into its next Conference USA matchup.
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Tigers sweep Prairie View in baseball
Grambling State swept Prairie View A&M in a three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference series over the weekend at Wilbert Ellis Field at R.W.E. Jones Park.
The Tigers (14-24, 11-7 SWAC) opened the series with a 12-2 win on Friday, then followed with an 8-6 victory on Saturday and a 7-6 win later that day to complete the sweep. Prairie View A&M finished the weekend 7-31 overall and 3-15 in conference play.
Grambling State broke Friday’s opener open late, scoring eight runs over the final two innings to pull away for a 12-2 win. Locked in a tight game through six innings, the Tigers used a five-run seventh and a three-run eighth to take control. Keyon Guillory went the distance, allowing two runs on nine hits with three strikeouts to earn the win.
Trey Bridges highlighted the offense with a home run, while Chris Marcellus added two hits and two RBIs. Julio Vasquez and Cameron Hill also contributed RBIs as Grambling finished with 10 hits and capitalized on defensive miscues.
PVAMU struck first in the opener and got a strong individual performance from Tyvon Moore, who went 3-for-4.
In Saturday’s first game, Grambling again took advantage of Prairie View errors and used a key late push to secure an 8-6 win. After PVAMU tied the game at 6-6 in the eighth, the Tigers responded immediately as Charles Ashe III delivered a sacrifice fly to put Grambling back in front.
Hampton Phillips earned the win in relief, while Rafael Capistran closed out the ninth for his second save. Dillon Braxton went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and three stolen bases, while Chris Marcellus added two hits. PVAMU’s Michael Walker led the Panthers, finishing 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs and an RBI.
In the series finale, Grambling again used a decisive seventh inning to rally for a 7-6 win. Trailing 5-4 entering the bottom of the seventh, the Tigers scored three runs to regain control, highlighted by a two-run single from Nicholas Jackson Jr. and an RBI single by Ryan Davis.
Braxton paced the offense again, going 2-for-2 with three RBIs, while Jackson Jr. added two hits and two RBIs. Trevor Esparza worked 5.2 innings in the start before Capistran earned the win in relief.
Prairie View briefly led in the finale after scoring in the seventh, but Grambling answered immediately and held on behind Capistran’s late relief work.
The sweep marked a strong weekend for the Tigers, who continued their surge in SWAC play behind timely hitting, aggressive baserunning and late-inning execution.
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GSU takes finale against Southern
Southern won two out of three over Grambling State over the weekend at the GSU Softball Complex, with Southern sweeping a Friday doubleheader and the Tigers responding with a 2-1 win on Saturday morning.
Southern took both games of Friday’s doubleheader, winning 8-1 and 8-2 behind strong offensive performances from Ariel Burton and timely hitting throughout the lineup. Burton combined to go 6-for-8 on the day with seven RBIs, including a five-RBI effort in the opener and a two-run home run in Game 2. Asia George also scored three runs in the nightcap as Southern capitalized on early scoring opportunities and Grambling defensive miscues. The Tigers produced 10 hits in Game 2, led by three from Ahsunte’ Specks, but could not overcome Southern’s early leads.
Grambling State bounced back in Saturday’s finale, edging Southern 2-1 in a pitcher’s duel. The Tigers struck first in the fourth inning when Z’Natria Evans reached on a fielder’s choice, allowing Jada Carhee to score. Southern tied the game in the fifth on an RBI single from Asia George, but Grambling responded in the bottom half when Tavia Leadon delivered a run-scoring groundout to bring home Malaysia Ponder.
Erin Gibbs made the lead stand, throwing a complete game and allowing one run on six hits while stranding seven runners. Carhee led Grambling offensively with a 2-for-2 performance and a run scored. Southern out-hit Grambling 6-3 but left multiple runners on base as Gibbs worked out of key jams late.
The split left Southern in control of the Friday doubleheader while Grambling salvaged the weekend finale behind strong pitching and timely execution.
