Louisiana Tech (5-2) went on the road this weekendfor the first time in 2025 to Southern Miss (7-1) and dropped 2 of 3 games to the Golden Eagles.

Let's take a look at how it happened.

Game 1 | Bulldogs struggle offensively in 4-0 loss to open the series

WIN | JB Middleton (2-0) LOSS | Grant Hubka (1-1) SAVE | Josh Och (1)

It was tough sledding for the Bulldog offense throughout the game on Friday night.

Eli Berch's second inning single through the left side would be the only hit that the Bulldogs would manage against the USM pitching staff.

That said, Tech did have its chances. The Bulldogs had six at bats with runners in scoring position but were unable to cash in against the combination of JB Middletion, Micah Wascom, and Josh Och for the Golden Eagles on the mound.

Golden Eagles pitchers struck out 11 Tech hitters.

Pitching wise, Grant Hubka got the start on the mound. In what was an uneven start for the Gretna, Nebraska native, Hubka battled to only allow 2 runs in 4.2 innings of work.

Connor Nation and Noah Magee combined to allow 2 runs over the final 3.1 innings on the mound.

Game 2 | Bulldogs jump out to early lead but are unable to hold on in 8-4 loss

WIN | Kross Sivley (1-0) LOSS | Luke Nichols (0-1) SAVE | Colby Allen (2)

Louisiana Tech jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the 1st inning when the Golden Eagles misplayed a Mike Ballard bunt that allowed Garrison Berkley to score from 1st and an Eli Berch double.

In the bottom half of the first inning, the Golden Eagles would strike back for 5 runs. The big blow came when Carson Paetow hit his first of 2 home runs in the game, a 3-run shot to right centerfield to give USM a 5-2 lead.

Paetow's second home run of the day came in the 3rd inning to extend the lead out to 7-2 for Southern Miss.

A Garrison Berkley single in the 5th would get the Bulldogs within four runs at 7-3. Sebastian Mexico came off the bench in the 8th inning to double and drive in Eli Berch and make it 7-4.

Thaxton Berch came to the plate with 2 outs in the 8th inning as the tying run but was unable to deliver.

USM added a single run in the bottom of the 8th inning for the 8-4 win.

Berkley was the start offensively for Tech with 3 hits from his leadoff spot in the order.

Luke Nichols suffered his first defeat of 2025 after allowing 7 runs in 2.1 innings of work on the mound.

Brooks Roberson, a freshman from Lubbock, TX, was dynamic in relief. Robertson allowed 1 earned run in 5.2 innings of work while striking out 7.

Game 3 | Bulldogs salvage the series with 5-2 win behind Luke Cooley's dominant performance on the bump

WIN | Luke Cooley (2-0) LOSS | Matthew Adams (1-1) SAVE | Blake Hooks (2)

Luke Cooley took the ball for the second time in his Bulldog career in game two of the doubleheader on Saturday and was dominant.

The left-hander allowed only 1 earned run on on 4 hits in 5.2 innings of work. Cooley struck out 7 for a second consecutive start.

Logan Forsythe struck out 4 in 2 innings of relief work behind Cooley before Blake Hooks earned his second save of the season by getting the final 4 outs.

Offensively, Tech started fast when Mike Ballard gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead with a solo home-run to left field in the first inning. It was Ballard's second home-run of the season.

Zeb Ruddell would single later in the first inning to stretch the lead out to 2-0 Bulldogs.

An Eli Berch RBI-single and Colton Coates RBI-groundout gave the Tech a 4-0 lead in the 3rd inning.

Leading 4-2 in the top of the 9th inning, Ballard delivered an RBI-single for an insurance run to make it 5-2 Bulldogs.

Garrison Berkley and Ballard each had two hits for the Bulldogs in the victory.

Up Next

Louisiana Tech will host Lamar in midweek action on Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 4 PM on ESPN+/SportsTalk 97.7 FM.

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