Louisiana Tech (24-11, 10-5) went on the road and picked up a massive series victory at #24 FAU (24-11, 12-3) this weekend.
The Bulldogs took the first two games of the series on Friday and Saturday before falling in the series finale Sunday afternoon.
Let’s take a look at how it happened.
Game 1: Matt Miller Dominant, Tech Defeats FAU 5-3 in Series Opener
Matt Miller got Louisiana Tech off to a great start Friday night with a dominant start for the fourth consecutive weekend. The right-hander pitched 6.2 innings while allowing only 2 earned runs and earned his fifth win of the season.
Braxton Smith pitched the final 1.2 innings and earned his 8th save of the season.
Offensively, Taylor Young, Mason Mallard, and Tanner Huddleston led the way. The trio combined for eight of Tech’s nine hits in the win.
Young collected four hits, all singles, and scored two runs from his leadoff spot in the lineup.
Mallard collected two hits, including a three-run home run in the fifth inning to give Tech a 4-1 lead that the Bulldogs would never relinquish.
Huddleston also had two hits in the win, including his second home run of the season in the eighth inning.
Game 2: Robbins, Leal, and Smith Combine to Shutdown FAU as Tech Wins Series with 2-1 Victory
Logan Robbins, David Leal, and Braxton Smith allowed a combined four hits while striking out eight Owls hitters in the series clinching win.
While Robbins has certainly had issues on the mound at times in 2019, Saturday the left-hander put together a sensational performance. In earning his third win of the season, Robbins allowed only 2 hits, while getting 10 of his 17 outs in the game by way of a ground ball. Outstanding.
Leal had perhaps his best outing of the season going 2.2 innings while allowing only 1 earned run.
Smith closed it out for the second consecutive day collecting 2 strikeouts in 0.2 innings of work for his 9th save.
Seth White, making his third career start, delivered a two-run triple in the second inning to account for Tech’s only runs of the game.
Tanner Huddleston also collected two hits in the win.
Game 3: FAU Avoids Sweep, Takes down Tech 11-3
After Tech took an early 2-0 lead after 2.5 innings of play on RBI singles from Mason Mallard and Tanner Huddleston, the FAU would score 7 seven runs from the third inning through the sixth inning before scoring 4 more runs in the eighth to put the game out of reach.
The Owls collected 13 hits in the game and only struck out 3 times. That is a great recipe for victory.
Logan Bailey was the losing pitcher for Tech after allowed four earned runs in four innings of work.
Kyle Griffen and Beau Billings were the only relievers to put together scoreless outings. Grffen worked 1.1 innings while Billings worked 1 inning himself.
Offensively, Hunter Wells and Mason Mallard each collected two hits.
Conference USA Standings Update
At the halfway point in conference play, Louisiana Tech is now 10-5 in Conference USA play. The Bulldogs are two games behind FAU (12-3) and one game behind Southern Miss (11-4).
RPI Update
In winning the series over FAU this weekend, Louisiana Tech jumped nine spots in the RPI and now sit at 33 with 20 games remaining in the regular season.
Diamond Dogs Travel to ULM Tuesday Night
The ‘Dogs will be looking for some revenge against the Warhawks on Tuesday night. ULM beat Tech 9-4 in Ruston on March 26th. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. at Warhawk Field.
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