Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Baseball
The Diamond ‘Dogs (14-10, 2-1 CUSA) return to the Love Shack to kickstart a four-game homestand tonight when they play host to the nearby Grambling State Tigers (9-13, 5-1 SWAC). First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT.
The contest can be heard on 97.7 FM and seen on ESPN+.
The upcoming contest marks the 34th time the two programs meet since their first matchup on April 9, 1971, when Louisiana Tech won 8-0 in a seven-inning game played at a neutral site in Baton Rouge. The Bulldogs are currently riding a 28-game winning streak against the Tigers, with Grambling’s last win over Tech dating back to March 1, 2005, with the Tigers taking a close 10-9 victory in Ruston.
The Diamond ‘Dogs are coming off a 3-1 week including a series win to open Conference USA play over Sam Houston on the road. Garrison Berkley posted a career day at the plate in Sunday’s rubber match, going 4-5 with a pair of homers, a double, three RBI and four runs scored. Thaxton Berch also belted his first career homer in Sunday’s 9-7 win.
Grambling State enters Tuesday’s contest as one of the SWAC’s top teams, currently sitting in a tie for the top spot with Bethune Cookman at a 5-1 conference record. The Tigers are coming off a series win over Texas Southern despite suffering their first SWAC loss in Sunday’s series finale. Grambling won Friday’s series opener, 12-7, before exploding in a 15-5 eight-inning run rule victory on Saturday. They fell short of a sweep after dropping Sunday’s contest, 19-10.
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Softball
Louisiana Tech softball will begin a five-game road trip tonight as the Bulldogs travel to Natchitoches to take on Northwestern State for the second time this season. First pitch from Lady Demon Diamond is slated for 6:00 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
This will be the 115th meeting all-time between LA Tech and NSU as the Bulldogs hold a 63-52 advantage. LA Tech took down NSU 9-1 in five innings in early February at Dr. Billy Bundrick Field.
The Bulldogs and Demons first met in 1980 with NSU winning the first four contests. Tech won 14 straight over NSU from 1986-89. The two programs have played each other every season since 1985 expect 2010 and 2020.
LA Tech (19-11) is coming off its eighth consecutive win after sweeping its second straight Conference USA series this past weekend. The Bulldogs defeated MTSU 7-2, 8-7, and 4-3 while outhitting the Blue Raiders 35-13.
The Bulldogs finished with 10+ hits all three games against MTSU as Nicole Hammoude paced the team with six hits in nine at bats. Gilio went 5-for-11 at the dish with four RBI and three runs scored. Allie Furr and Heng both registered five hits in the series while Heng tacked on five runs to her stat line. Allie Floyd added three more wins to her name after earning victories in all three games against the Blue Raiders, moving to a league leading 15-5 on the season with a league high 118 strikeouts in 114.0 innings of work.
The Demons (3-27, 0-9) enter Tuesday’s contest with a 3-27 record after dropping their last 10 games. NSU went 2-3 in the Mississippi State Bulldog Invite and took down the host team No. 20 Mississippi State 5-0 to close the tournament and have not won since.
