Diamond Dogs take Lead, ULM Calls for Mercy

After constant rain covered Northeast Louisiana for much of the day Tuesday, Tech and ULM made the decision to give it a go Tuesday night at Warhawk Field. In a matchup that has been dominated by the Bulldogs to the tune of eight straight victories (including a 12-3 throttling earlier this year) there was little doubt about the outcome from the start. A once proud rivalry has now lost its luster — and has, quite frankly, caused fans in Ruston to lose interest. With The Diamond Dogs (21-12, 4-8) having a solid year, and the Warhawks (9-25, 4-8) struggling, many paid no attention, and that is where the mistake was made.

After a one hour rain delay, the Diamond Dogs jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a Brent Diaz RBI single and a sac-fly from Chase Lunceford. The Bulldogs would tack on two more in the second by way of Colby Hamilton’s RBI double and a Brent Diaz RBI groundout. The ‘Dogs carried that 4-0 lead into the fourth before the Warkhawks scratched and clawed their way to a single run as the monsoon began to fall again. Tech pitcher Matt Miller, who battled tough conditions throughout the night, escaped the fourth inning with minimal damage before the game was delayed once again due to rain.

This time, Mother Nature held nothing back, and the field was rendered unplayable. The game was officially postponed around 8:45 PM, to be completed at a later date. This is where it gets good — Tech sent ULM a few dates to schedule a finish to the contest, but ULM cried “uncle.” Yes, the Warhawks would like the game to be restarted.

NCAA Rule 5-9-b. states, “A halted game must resume play at exactly the point of being halted, with the lineups and batting orders of both teams exactly the same, subject to rules of substitution; any player (or pitcher) who played, or was announced as a substitute before the game was halted, must be in the lineup when play resumes or be ineligible for the remainder of the game.” As expected, the Warhawks will do just about anything to beat their big brother, and, honestly, I can’t blame them. The series between the two teams has been far from competitive in recent years, and maybe ULM coach Bruce Peddie is trying to stir the pot. Maybe he is trying to wake his team up via “friendly quit.” Whatever the case, the Bulldogs continue to dominate the Warhawks, and it’s hard to imagine that changing any time soon.

The Diamond Dogs will be back in action Friday night at Old Dominion. For a full breakdown on the series, be sure to join us at BleedTechBlue.com.