RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech's Tyler Clancy scattered three hits in seven innings of work to lift the Bulldogs past the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball team, 6-2, on Friday at J.C. Love Field. Justin Perales went 2-for-4 with an RBI in a losing effort for the Islanders, who fell to 6-4 on the season.
Taylor Nichols led the way for the Bulldogs offense, going 3-for-4 with two RBI in the win for La. Tech (6-6). Clancy retired the first 16 batters he faced in the game, and picked up the win, striking out three and walking just one in the victory.
Lukas Hermanson, Jordan Lee and Kyle Danford each posted hits in the loss, with Danford and Lee each scoring runs. Garrett Harris was carded with the loss after surrendering four hits and five walks to the tune of three runs in his four innings of work. Kaleb Keith tossed 2 1/3 shutout innings out of the bullpen for the Islanders, while Jared Jordan retired both of the Bulldog batters he faced.
Louisiana Tech got on the board in the first, with a leadoff single, a sac bunt and a groundout putting a runner at third with two down. Bre'shon Kimbell then capped it off by sending a single to left on the first pitch he saw to make it a 1-0 lead.
In the third, the home squad was able to double its advantage. After a flyout from the leadoff batter, two walks and a single loaded the bases with one away. Harris got a grounder off the bat of Brent Diaz, but the Islanders were unable to turn the double play, getting just the runner at second, to make it 2-0. The Bulldogs pushed the advantage to 3-0 with a sac fly from Mason Paxton in the fourth.
Then in the fifth, Louisiana Tech was able to put a crooked number on the board against reliever A.J. Flores. After a leadoff groundout, Diaz knocked a double and a hit batsman put two on and one out. Flores then got a grounder off the bat of J.D. Perry, but it was mishandled by Casey Thomas at short to load the bases. Nichols followed and sent a two-run single to left to push the lead to 5-0. An RBI base hit from Colby Johnson followed to make it a 6-0 advantage.
Meanwhile, Clancy was cruising on the mound, setting down the Islanders 1-2-3 in each of the first five frames. But in the sixth, the Islanders started to mount a charge. Brett Burner reached on a one-out error, and Hermanson followed by looping a single to right field. But back-to-back groundouts snuffed out the rally and sent the game to the seventh still at 6-0.
The Islanders looked poised for a big inning in the seventh, as Danford and Perales cracked consecutive singles and a walk to Tyler Ware loaded the bags with nobody out for Cody Clarke. Clarke hit a hard grounder, but it went straight to short, as the Bulldogs were able to turn a 6-4-3 double play, allowing the first run of the ballgame for the Islanders. A flyout ended the rally with a 6-1 Louisiana Tech lead still in tact.
A&M-Corpus Christi added a run in the ninth off reliever Adam Atkins. Lee led off the frame with a double to left center, and two batters later Perales sent a bounding ball up the middle to plate the senior and make it a 6-2 game. But the joy was short-lived for the visitors, as a 6-4-3 double play ended the contest.
The Islanders and Bulldogs will continue their three-game set on Saturday at Love Field, with first pitch slated for 2 p.m. Matt Danton is slated to take the hill for the Islanders, where he will be opposed by La. Tech's Phil Maton. The series will conclude on Sunday at 1 p.m., with Trevor Belicek getting the ball. Live stats and video for both contests will be available at LaTechSports.com.
