BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – The Diamond ‘Dogs (27-18, 11-7 CUSA) came up short in a thrilling Friday night series opener, falling 9-8 to Western Kentucky (36-10, 12-7 CUSA) at Nick Denes Field.
Friday’s win for the Hilltoppers was the first time they opened a series with a win against LA Tech since 2019 at the Love Shack.
WKU struck early with a three-run homer in the first before the ‘Dogs responded accordingly with a three-spot of their own to start the second frame. Colton Coates led off with a walk followed by Zeb Ruddell poking a base hit to center to put two runners on with two outs.
Garrison Berkley then pushed a double to right field to score Coates before a pair of RBI groundouts tied the game. The Hilltopper offense continued their pace at the plate, scoring another three runs to take a 6-3 lead into the third. Trey Hawsey got one of those runs back on one swing, pulling his team-leading ninth homer of the season and fifth in the last six games to right to bring Tech to within two.
🖐️ Yard Dogs in the last 6 games for Big Haws‼️
🔥 103 mph
📏 349 ft.
📐 36.89′@HawseyTrey pic.twitter.com/2yP8ja8mHe— Diamond Dogs (@LATechBSB) May 3, 2025
Blake Hooks entered the game out of the bullpen in the third and posted three shutout innings before a pair of unearned runs came across in the sixth to extend WKU’s lead to four. Hooks fanned seven batters to set a new career high as a Bulldog.
The ‘Dogs were kept off the board for four consecutive innings before creating a new ball game in the eighth. Will Safford and Sebastian Mexico both led off the frame with full-count walks before Michael Ballard hit into a fielder’s choice to put runners on the corners with one out.
Safford came across to score the first run of the eighth on a wild pitch with Hawsey at the plate. The Bulldog first baseman then put runners at the corners again with a base hit to right. Coates drew his second walk of the night to load the bases before Ballard came across on the second wild pitch of the inning following a WKU pitching change.
With runners at second and third with one out, Ruddell ripped a base hit through the left side of the infield to cap off the four-run inning and tie the game. The Hilltoppers applied pressure to the Bulldog defense by loading the bases. Ryan Harland entered the game out of the pen needing just one out, and his defense backed him up with a groundout on a full count to leave three stranded.
ZEB TIES IT IN THE 8TH‼️
After two runs come across on a pair of wild pitches, @ZebRuddell brings in two more! pic.twitter.com/8SE3RiWDxa
— Diamond Dogs (@LATechBSB) May 3, 2025
BRING THE ENERGY @ryan_23h 😤
‘Dogs get out of the bases-loaded jam, and we’re headed to the 9th in an 8-8 ball game!
E. Berch, Safford, Mexico due up for Tech pic.twitter.com/VCbdeNZDe8
— Diamond Dogs (@LATechBSB) May 3, 2025
Tech was held off the board in the ninth, needing just three outs to force extra innings going into the home half. After a flyout to start the frame, the Hilltoppers knocked a pinch-hit single followed by a walk to put the winning run in scoring position. On a 2-1 count, WKU ripped a double to right enter to walk it off in the series opener.
Ruddell drove in his 22nd and 23rd RBI and notched his eighth multi-hit game of the season. The Bulldog left fielder also extended his reached-base streak to 11 games, which is tied with Matt Houston for the longest current streak on the team. Coates extended his streak to nine games while Berkley and Safford each pushed theirs out to five.
Game 2 of the weekend is set for Saturday, May 3 at 4 p.m. CT. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ along with the radio broadcast available on 97.7 FM and the LA Tech Athletics app.
SUPPORT LA TECH ATHLETICS
Championships require championship resources. Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the Bulldog Community Outreach which is the NIL collective that supports Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes. Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand. You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents. By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way. Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today. You bark. We bark. Louder together.
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Baseball, follow us on X (@LATechBSB), Instagram (@LATechBSB), and Facebook (LATechBSB).
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
