By Drew Parsley, Louisiana Tech Assistant Director Strategic Communications; featured photo by Drew Parsley
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Louisiana Tech (22-12, 7-2 CUSA) opened up the road series against Middle Tennessee (15-19, 2-8 CUSA) with a 5-4 victory Friday night at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
After a scoreless first inning in Murfreesboro, Trey Hawsey jacked an opposite-field home run to put the ‘Dogs on the board on a 3-1 count with two outs in the second. The Blue Raiders were able to get the tying run in scoring position following a single and a passed ball, but a looking strikeout hurled by Luke Cooley kept Middle Tennessee off the board.
The Blue Raiders applied pressure in the third after keeping the Bulldogs from scoring for a second-straight inning, loading the bases with a pair of base hits and a walk before Tech’s 29th double play of the year kept the home side scoreless.
Middle Tennessee finally cracked the scoreboard in the home half of the fourth after three-straight batters reached base with one out. A base hit and a walk were followed by a knock to left to tie the game at 1-1 before the Blue Raiders took a 2-1 lead on a wild pitch.
Hawsey answered back with his second solo homer of the game to lead off the fifth on a 1-0 count to bring the score back to even at 2-2. After holding Middle Tennessee in check in the bottom of the frame, Sebastian Mexicoand Zeb Ruddell ripped a pair of infield singles before Eli Berch doubled to the left-center wall to put the ‘Dogs up 4-2. Berch’s older brother, Thaxton Berch, then drove in the Bulldog backstop with a double of his own to the same left-center gap to push to a 5-2 lead.
After the Blue Raiders led off the sixth with a walk, Kenny McKinley belted a no-doubt two-run homer over the left field wall to cut the gap to just 5-4. Once the game was through the first two-thirds, the Bulldog defense clamped down and did not allow a runner to reach third base for the final three frames.
Luke Cooley earned his team-best fifth win of the year after tossing 5 2/3 innings while allowing four runs on three hits and nine walks with four strikeouts. Blake Hooks picked up his sixth save of the season, which currently leads Conference USA. He picked up the final four outs of the game on just 13 pitches with no baserunners allowed.
Mexico and Hawsey each picked up multi-hit days with Hawsey and Eli Berch driving in four of Tech’s five runs.
The series picks back up on Saturday, April 12 with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. CT at Reese Smith Jr. Field.
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