JOURNAL SPORTS
HATTIESBURG, Miss. – It took some time, but second-seeded Louisiana Tech got the start it wanted Wednesday in the Conference USA baseball tournament, and impressed doing it.
A week after being knocked off in the series opener at Charlotte, the Bulldogs blanked the 49ers 4-0, working between a lengthy weather delay to prevail.
Tech (39-18) topped Charlotte (35-21) as three Bulldog arms completed the shutout while a four-run first inning provided all that was needed.
Cole McConnell notched his 72nd RBI, tying the Tech season record, before Adarius Myers stepped up with two outs and powered a homer for a 4-0 first inning lead.
Cade Gibson cruised through his first three innings of work, tossing five strikeouts. After a five hour and 20-minute delay, Gibson returned and put up two more goose eggs. Byrd High product Jonathan Fincher gave the Bulldogs three more zeroes, needing just 36 pitches. Kyle Crigger made his 31st appearance as he threw the top of the ninth.
It was the first-ever shutout for Tech in a conference tournament game and the first time a heavy-hitting Charlotte club has been blanked all season. The 49ers were 11 of 12 in CUSA wins going into the Tech series last week, then 12 of 13 with a win over Tech last Thursday.
Tech has won the next three, with the latest advancing the Diamond Dogs to a 4 p.m. contest today against third-seeded Old Dominion, which won 18-7 Wednesday over No. 6 Middle Tennessee.
BETHUNE-COOKMAN 4, GRAMBLING 3: At Birmingham in the opening round of the Southwestern Athletic Conference Tournament, the Tigers couldn’t complete a rally Wednesday evening. The G-Men nearly erased a 4-1 deficit, pulling within one run in the bottom of the eighth. GSU, put a runner in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth, but couldn’t cash in, falling into the elimination bracket for a game projected at 6 this afternoon.
GSU ace Shemar Page worked all nine innings, allowing four runs on six hits. He fanned seven batters, Page’s blemish was a three-run home run in the top of the fourth.
The Tigers (25-30) tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth, getting runners on first and season with one out, but BCU stuck out the final two batters,
LSU: The Tigers’ Southeastern Conference debut, originally slated for Tuesday, now is this afternoon at 4:30 against 12th-seeded Kentucky in Hoover, Ala.
ULM: The Sun Belt Conference shifted to a single-elimination format that won’t begin until Friday. ULM will meet No. 15-ranked Texas State at 7:30 Friday at Mobile, Ala.
Photo courtesy Conference USA