By Drew Parsley, Louisiana Tech Associate Director Strategic Communications; featured photo by Josh McDaniel
RUSTON — Louisiana Tech (30-22, 13-11 CUSA) extended its winning streak to three games after opening the series against New Mexico State (22-30, 10-14 CUSA) with a 12-7 victory at the Love Shack.
With Thursday night’s win, the Bulldogs clinched their 30th win of the season under head coach Lane Burroughs. It marks his 10th 30-win season in his 13 years as a head coach and his seventh in eight full seasons at the helm of Louisiana Tech’s baseball program.
Logan Forsythe opened the game hot out of the gates, retiring the New Mexico State side in order in the first two frames including three strikeouts in the opening inning. Forsythe allowed a leadoff knock in the third but continued his dominance by striking out the next three batters to bring us total up to seven going into the fourth.
The power righty ended his outing with a new career-high 10 strikeouts in four innings, allowing six runs on six hits with two walks and earning his first victory as a Division I pitcher following a then-career high performance of nine strikeouts in his previous start at Jacksonville State.
The ‘Dogs were retired in order in the first before jumping ahead to a six-run lead in the second despite not recording a hit. After a leadoff fly out, Colton Coates drew a walk and Garrison Berkley and Brody Drost were both hit by a pitch to load the bases. Thaxton Berchentered the game for Berkley as a pinch runner as Berkley entered concussion protocol but entered back in the game when Tech was back out for defense.
Eli Berch brought across the first run on a sacrifice fly before Drost stole second and Will Safford drew a walk to load the bases once again. Sebastian Mexico then drew a walk to increase the lead to 2-0 before Michael Ballard hit into a fielder’s choice at second. The New Mexico State second baseman ran to second base to attempt the force out, but Mexico was able to beat him out to bring in another run for the ‘Dogs. Trey Hawsey was then hit by a pitch and Zeb Ruddell walked before a wild pitch capped off the frame and gave Tech a 6-0 lead going into the third.
Berch then hit his fifth homer of the season to push the ‘Dogs out in front by seven before an RBI groundout made it 8-0 through four innings. The Aggies answered back in the fifth with seven runs to make it a one-run lead for the ‘Dogs, but an RBI double from Ballard got a run back and gave Tech a 9-7 lead in the sixth.
New Mexico State saw eight-straight batters reach base safely on three walks, three singles, a double and a three-run homer before the Bulldogs’ 40th double play of the season ended the inning. The ‘Dogs now have nine-straight seasons and 12 of the last 13 years with at least 40 twin killings in a single season.
Berkley led off the seventh with a walk before swiping his team-leading 13th stolen base to put himself in scoring position. The Aggies then made a pitching change with Drost coming to bat, who advanced Berkley to third with a fly out before Eli Berch was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners with one out. Safford then reached base on a chopper to the New Mexico State pitcher who fired the ball to first, but it hit off the first baseman’s glove, allowing Safford and Berch to move to second and third with one out.
Mexico was intentionally walked to load the bases before Hawsey delivered a two-run double to increase Tech’s advantage to 12-7 going into the eighth.