Louisiana Tech (4-0) opened its 2025 season with a 4-game sweep of Maine at J.C. Love Field.
Offensively, the Bulldogs hit .260 as a team and averaged 7.7 runs per game.
Michael Ballard finished the weekend 8/15 (.533) with 3 2B, 1 HR, and 6 RBI.
On the mound, the Bulldogs limited the Black Bears to a .238 batting average and compiled a 3.34 team ERA.
Luke Cooley was the stand out striking out 7 across 5 scoreless innings in his Bulldog debut on Saturday.
Let's dive into the entirety of the weekend.
Game 1 | Solid pitching, solid hitting propel Diamond Dogs to 14-3 win to open 2025 season
WIN | Grant Hubka (1-0) LOSS | Colin Fitzgerald (0-1)
Colton Coates doubled in the bottom of the first inning to score Sebastian Mexico and give Louisiana Tech an early 1-0 lead.
Drew Reynolds gave the Black Bears a 2-1 lead with a 2-run single in the top half of the third inning.
Micheal Ballard came to the plate in the bottom half of the frame and hit a line shot 2-run home-run to left field to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead that they wouldn't relinquish.
Will Safford, Zeb Ruddell, and Coates all drove in insurance runs in the fourth inning to stretch Tech's lead out to 7-2.
Leading 12-3 in the eighth inning, Ballard drove in two more to make it 14-3 Bulldogs.
Ballard's senior season in a Bulldog uniform started with a bang as a he collected three hits including home-run, and drove in a team-high four runs from his #2 spot in the batting order.
Colton Coates made his first career start in a Bulldog uniform and collected two hits and 3 RBI.
Will Safford reached base in all five of his plate appearances.
Grant Hubka allowed 2 earned runs in 3.2 innings of work to earn his first win of the season.
Logan Forsythe came on to toss two scoreless innings to close things down for the first win of 2025 for Lane Burroughs club.
Game 2 | Nichols dominant, great situational hitting leads Bulldogs to 4-2 win
WIN | Nate Crider (1-0) LOSS | Jason Libby (0-1) SAVE | Blake Hooks (1)
Luke Nichols made his first start of the season in game one of the doubleheader on Saturday and was rock solid.
The left-hander allowed two earned runs in 6.1 innings of work while striking out six.
Nate Crider and Blake Hooks struck out 4 in 2.2 scoreless innings of relief work.
With the game tied at 2 in the seventh inning, Zeb Ruddell gave the Bulldogs the lead with an RBI fielder's choice that scored Thaxton Berch.
Cade Patterson stretched the lead to 4-2 when he drove in Ruddell with a ground out two batters later.
On a day when the wind was howling in at the Love Shack, Garrison Berkley lead the way offensively with two hits.
Game 3 | Luke Cooley dominant in first start in Bulldog uniform as LA Tech shuts out Maine 4-0
WIN | Luke Cooley (1-0) LOSS | Luc Lavigueur (0-1)
Luke Cooley was dominant in his first start as a Bulldog on Saturday afternoon. The left-hander allowed two hits and struck out seven in 5 innings of work to earn his first win of the season.
Brooks Roberson and Logan Forsythe tossed the final two innings in relief to seal the victory.
Offensively, Tech got on the board in the first inning when Micheal Ballard scored on a wild pitch after he'd doubled earlier in the frame.
Leading 2-0 in the 6th inning, Brody Drost hit an opposite field home-run to stretch the Bulldogs lead out to 3-0.
Cade Patterson delivered a SAC fly later in the inning to give the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead.
Game 4 | Patterson's late game heroics lift Tech to 9-8 win in 10 innings
WIN | Blake Hooks (1-0) LOSS | Sebastian Holt (0-1)
Louisiana Tech jumped out to an early 6-1 lead after two innings on Sunday afternoon and appeared to be rolling towards a series sweep over the Black Bears of Maine.
Maine responded in the top half of the third inning with five runs on four hits and three free passes to tie the game at 6.
Trailing 7-6 in the 7th inning, Cade Patterson hit a solo home-run to left field to tie the game at 7. It was Patterson's first home-run of his career.
Down 8-7 in the 8th inning, Colton Coates continued his stellar weekend with a line drive single to left centerfield to score Mike Ballard and tie the game at 8.
With the bases loaded in the 10th inning, Patterson delivered a SAC fly to right centerfield to give the Bulldogs the 9-8 win and series sweep.
Blake Hooks earned the win in relief after allowing only one run in 3 innings of work.
Nate Crider, Noah Magee, and Connor Nation each tossed scoreless innings in relief for the Diamond Dogs.
Garrison Berkley, Ballard, and Coates combined to go 7/15 for with 4 RBI in the series finale.
Up Next
Louisiana Tech will travel to Hattiesburg for a 3-game series at Southern Miss beginning on Friday night at 6:00 PM.
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