Saturday, May 23, 2009

Tech beats Hawaii 4-3 to open Western Athletic Conference tournament

May 22, 2009

WAC TOURNAMENT: Ewing’s walk-off propels Louisiana Tech to 4-3 win

Bulldogs now face New Mexico State at midnight local time

News-Star news services
HONOLULU -- In an night that included a record-breaking home run by Devon Dageford, Clint Ewing’s two-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning catapulted Louisiana Tech to a 4-3 victory over Hawai’i Thursday evening at Les Murakami Stadium.
“Our pitchers pitched extremely well besides a few blunders on defense,” Tech head coach Wade Simoneaux said. “Our hitters continued to be relentless at the plate as they totaled 13 hits. 

“Our players believe we can win. We need to take that same approach in front of a much smaller crowd (Friday) against New Mexico State. We need to play with energy and be ready to go because the Aggies are a quality opponent.”

Since Tech finished the season as the No. 2 seed, they were the home team and thus had the final at-bat Thursday night.

The impressive victory improved the Bulldogs’ overall record to 29-20. Hawai’i is now 31-25 on the year.

With the ballgame tied at two after seven innings, Hawai’i took a one-run lead on a wild pitch by Bulldog reliever John Anderson. The Rainbows had an opportunity to increase their lead in the inning as they had a runner on third base, but Anderson was able to record two strikeouts to end the inning.

Anderson did not allow a Rainbow to reach base in the ninth inning as he sat down the opposition in order. At the end of nine-and-a-half, Tech trailed by only one run.

Mark Threlkeld led off the bottom of the ninth inning with his first hit of the night, a single. Clint Stubbs pinch ran for Threlkeld and soon after, stole second base. With a runner in scoring position and one out, Ewing blasted a two-run walk-off home run to seal a 4-3 victory for the Bulldogs. 

“I was looking to drive a fastball,” Ewing said. “At the very least, I wanted to hit the ball into a gap to score Clint. (Spangler) started me off with two sliders, and I was able to work the count to 1-1. He threw a fastball in and thankfully I did not miss it.”

Ewing’s homer was Tech’s third walk-off this season. It also marked his second walk-off of his career. On April 27, 2008 against Hawai’i, Tech’s seven-run ninth inning, which included a total of three home runs, was highlighted by a three-run smash by Ewing. 

“It is a great feeling to start off our tournament with a win,” Ewing said. “I am glad we won, especially for our seniors. I don’t want to see them lose or let them down.”

Ewing’s seventh long ball of the season was not the only home run of the night as Dageford shattered the previous LA Tech single season home run record of 21, held by four Bulldogs: T.J. Soto, Ed Beuerlein, Ken Shamburg and Brian Myrow. The new home run king hit his 22nd home run of the season, a solo shot, to tie the game in the sixth inning. 

“It was exciting to hit that home run, but I’m just glad we won the game,” Dageford said. “I was also glad I could help the team out and tie the game. I was looking for a fastball and fortunately got it.”

Tech’s hitting was not the only story of the night as Bulldog pitchers contributed a solid effort. 

Bulldog starter Jeb Stefan allowed two runs (both earned) on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings. He was responsible for stranding nine of Hawai’i 13 base runners on the evening.

Reliever Mike Jefferson was able to escape a bases loaded jam in the seventh inning. The eventual game-winner, Anderson, struck out three in 1 2/3 innings.

Hawai’i turned three double plays on the evening; all three were inning-ending.

Tech’s victory over Hawai’i was their first post-season win since they defeated Sacramento State 14-9 in the 2006 WAC Tournament in Fresno, Calif.

Patrick Thomas’ RBI single in the fifth inning scored Kyle Roliard. The RBI was Tech’s 397th of the season, second most in school history. The RBI record is held by the 2007 team, which totaled 408 RBI. 

The Bulldogs will now take on the No. 4 seed New Mexico State Saturday morning at midnight local time. On Thursday, the Aggies defeated the No. 3 seed Fresno State 7-4. Since New Mexico State was the visitor in their game against Fresno State, they will be the home team.

Tech’s second game of the tournament can be heard on ESPN 97.7 FM or www.espn977.com online. Scott Robbs will begin the pregame show at approximately 11:50 p.m. CST.

Live stats will be available at www.latechsports.com.

Monday, May 4, 2009

Jamelle Clements strikes out final Hawaii batter to earn save as Louisiana Tech downs UH 8-7

Rainbows Fall To Bulldogs 8-7 To Suffer First Sweep Of Season
5/3/2009 5:50:26 PM
HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i Rainbow baseball team (26-20, 9-10 WAC) fell to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (26-18, 11-9) 8-4 in front of a crowd of 2,922 at Les Murakami Stadium Sunday. Josh Slaats (2-2) took the loss in relief while Mike Jefferson (2-2) picked up the win for the Bulldogs. Jamelle Clements retired the final batter to earn the save.
Vinnie Caticala went 3-for-4 with to runs to lead the way for UH. Ryan Morford went 2-for-3 with a home run while Christian Johnson was 1-for-2 with two RBI, two runs and a homer. Landon Hernandez added a 2-for-4 performance with a double.
Louisiana Tech drew first blood, scoring a run in the top of the first on a solo homer by Kevin Winn.
Morford quickly tied the game, hitting a lead-off home run to left. Kolten Wong drove in Catricala later in the inning, giving UH the 2-1 edge.
Johnson then extended the Hawai`i lead in the bottom of the second, hitting a two-run homer to right, getting the ’Bows out to a 4-1 advantage.
The Bulldogs responded with a two-run inning of their own in the top of the third, only to see the Rainbows answer with two more, making it 6-3 after three innings.
But Tech had the answer in the top of the sixth, posting four runs on five hits to take the lead 7-6.
Greg Garcia tied it again, hitting a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth. UH had an opportunity to break the tie in the eighth, but left the bases loaded.
In the top of the ninth, Louisiana Tech scored the go-ahead run on an infield single with two outs. UH again looked to have a grand opportunity in the bottom of the ninth, putting runners on second and third with just one out. But the Tech relievers had two timely strikeouts to end the game 8-7.
The Rainbows will now head on the road for a mid-week game at Saint Mary’s before their final WAC series of the season, at Fresno State.
Louisiana Tech vs Hawai`i (May 03, 2009)

Box score
Play-by-Play
Box Score

The Automated ScoreBook
Louisiana Tech at Hawai`i
May 03, 2009 at Honolulu, O`ahu (Les Murakami Stadium)

Louisiana Tech 8 (26-18,11-9 WAC)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Thomas, Patrick lf....... 4 1 2 3 1 0 4 0 0
Grunenwald, Nick cf/rf... 4 1 1 0 0 0 5 0 1
Winn, Kevin 2b........... 4 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0
Dageford, Devon rf....... 4 1 3 1 0 1 0 0 0
Gordey, Justin cf....... 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0
Kersten, Chris ss........ 5 1 2 1 0 1 1 0 3
Williams, Alex 1b........ 4 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 1
Threlkeld, Mark 3b....... 4 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 0
Anderson, John dh........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Roliard, Kyle ph/dh..... 4 2 3 1 0 0 0 1 0
Meyers, Graham p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Clements, Jamelle p..... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Combs, Matt c............ 3 0 0 0 1 1 9 0 1
Jones, Casey p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
LeBreton, Mike p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Watts, Cody p........... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Jefferson, Mike p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0
Totals................... 37 8 14 8 3 6 27 4 6

Hawai`i 7 (26-20,9-10 WAC)

Player AB R H RBI BB SO PO A LOB
------------------------------------------------------
Morford, Ryan 2b......... 3 1 2 1 2 0 3 3 0
Garcia, Greg ss.......... 4 0 0 1 0 0 2 4 0
Catricala, Vinnie 3b..... 4 2 3 0 1 1 0 3 1
Macdonald, Kevin 1b...... 5 0 0 0 0 1 11 2 5
Wong, Kolten cf.......... 3 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0
Hernandez, Landon c...... 4 0 2 0 0 0 6 1 1
Montplaisir, Sean lf..... 3 1 1 1 0 2 0 0 1
Johnson, Christian dh.... 2 2 1 2 2 1 0 0 1
Hoey, Shane ph.......... 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Roquemore, Matt rf....... 3 0 0 0 0 3 3 0 2
Alexander, Jared p....... 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Little, Connor p........ 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Slaats, Josh p.......... 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0
Totals................... 32 7 10 6 6 9 27 14 11

Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
Louisiana Tech...... 102 004 001 - 8 14 1
Hawai`i............. 222 001 000 - 7 10 0
-------------------------------------------

E - Williams. DP - Hawai`i 2. LOB - LATECH 6; Hawai`i 11. 2B - Thomas, P.;
Dageford; Kersten; Wong; Hernandez; Montplaisir. HR - Winn; Morford;
Johnson. HBP - Wong. SH - Grunenwald,N; Hernandez; Montplaisir; Roquemore 2.
SF - Garcia; Montplaisir. SB - Grunenwald,N; Gordey. CS - Dageford.

Louisiana Tech IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
Jones, Casey........ 1.0 5 4 4 0 0 8 8
LeBreton, Mike...... 4.2 4 3 3 2 6 15 21
Watts, Cody......... 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
Jefferson, Mike..... 2.1 1 0 0 3 1 7 12
Roliard, Kyle....... 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Meyers, Graham...... 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1
Clements, Jamelle... 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1

Hawai`i IP H R ER BB SO AB BF
-----------------------------------------------
Alexander, Jared.... 5.1 11 6 6 0 2 25 25
Little, Connor...... 0.0 2 1 1 1 0 2 3
Slaats, Josh........ 3.2 1 1 1 2 4 10 13

Win - Jefferson (2-2). Loss - Slaats (2-2). Save - Clements (1).
WP - Alexander. HBP - by LeBreton (Wong). BK - LeBreton.
Umpires - HP: Kenneth Durham 1B: Ken Eldridge 3B: John Bullock
Start: 1:05 pm Time: 3:31 Attendance: 2922
Jones, C. faced 2 batters in the 2nd.
Little faced 3 batters in the 6th.
Watts faced 1 batter in the 6th.
Jefferson faced 2 batters in the 9th.
Game: 050309

Play-by-Play

The Automated ScoreBook
Louisiana Tech at Hawai`i - Play-by-Play
May 03, 2009 at Honolulu, O`ahu (Les Murakami Stadium)


Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
Louisiana Tech...... 102 004 001 - 8 14 1
Hawai`i............. 222 001 000 - 7 10 0
-------------------------------------------

Louisiana Tech starters: 4/lf Thomas, P.; 2/cf Grunenwald,N; 7/2b Winn; 36/rf
Dageford; 11/ss Kersten; 18/1b Williams; 26/3b Threlkeld; 9/dh Anderson; 22/c
Combs; 29/p Jones, C.;
Hawai`i starters: 9/2b Morford; 5/ss Garcia; 18/3b Catricala; 26/1b Macdonald;
14/cf Wong; 19/c Hernandez; 8/lf Montplaisir; 10/dh Johnson; 1/rf Roquemore;
15/p Alexander;

Louisiana Tech 1st - Thomas, P. grounded out to ss. Grunenwald,N
grounded out to 1b unassisted. Winn homered to right field, RBI. Dageford
singled to pitcher. Dageford out at second c to 2b, caught stealing. 1 run,
2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Hawai`i 1st - Morford homered to left field, RBI. Garcia flied out to
lf. Catricala singled up the middle. Macdonald popped up to 3b. Wong doubled to
left center, RBI; Catricala scored. Hernandez flied out to lf. 2 runs, 3
hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Louisiana Tech 2nd - Kersten doubled to right center, ground-rule.
Williams grounded out to p. Threlkeld lined into double play 2b to ss; Kersten
out on the play. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Hawai`i 2nd - Montplaisir doubled down the rf line. Johnson homered to
right field, 2 RBI; Montplaisir scored. LeBreton to p for Jones, C.. Roquemore
struck out looking. Morford flied out to cf. Garcia fouled out to lf. 2
runs, 2 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Louisiana Tech 3rd - Roliard pinch hit for Anderson. Roliard singled to
left field. Roliard advanced to second on a wild pitch. Combs struck out
looking. Thomas, P. doubled down the rf line, RBI; Roliard scored. Grunenwald,N
singled to right field; Thomas, P. advanced to third. Grunenwald,N stole
second. Winn reached on a fielder's choice; Grunenwald,N advanced to third;
Thomas, P. out at home 1b unassisted. Dageford singled to left field, RBI; Winn
advanced to second; Grunenwald,N scored. Kersten flied out to rf. 2 runs, 4
hits, 0 errors, 2 LOB.

Hawai`i 3rd - Catricala singled through the left side. Macdonald struck
out swinging. Wong hit by pitch; Catricala advanced to second. Hernandez
singled to left center; Wong advanced to second; Catricala advanced to third.
Montplaisir flied out to cf, SAC, RBI; Hernandez advanced to second; Wong
advanced to third; Catricala scored. Hernandez advanced to third on a balk;
Wong scored on a balk. Johnson struck out swinging. 2 runs, 2 hits, 0
errors, 1 LOB.

Louisiana Tech 4th - Williams struck out swinging. Threlkeld flied out
to rf. Roliard to dh. Roliard singled up the middle. Combs grounded out to 3b.
0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Hawai`i 4th - Roquemore struck out swinging. Morford walked. Garcia
flied out to lf. Catricala struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 1
LOB.

Louisiana Tech 5th - Thomas, P. flied out to rf. Grunenwald,N grounded
out to ss. Winn grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Hawai`i 5th - Macdonald flied out to cf. Wong out at first 1b to 2b,
bunt. Hernandez doubled down the lf line. Montplaisir struck out swinging. 0
runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Louisiana Tech 6th - Dageford doubled to right field. Kersten singled up
the middle, advanced to second, RBI; Dageford scored. Williams grounded out to
ss. Threlkeld singled through the left side; Kersten advanced to third. Little
to p for Alexander. Roliard singled to left field, RBI; Threlkeld advanced to
second; Kersten scored. Combs walked; Roliard advanced to second; Threlkeld
advanced to third. Thomas, P. singled up the middle, 2 RBI; Combs advanced to
second; Roliard scored; Threlkeld scored. Slaats to p for Little. Grunenwald,N
grounded into double play 2b to ss to 1b; Thomas, P. out on the play. 4
runs, 5 hits, 0 errors, 1 LOB.

Hawai`i 6th - Johnson walked. Roquemore grounded out to p, SAC, bunt;
Johnson advanced to second. Morford singled through the left side, advanced to
second; Johnson advanced to third. Garcia flied out to cf, SAC, RBI; Morford
advanced to third; Johnson scored. Watts to p for LeBreton. Catricala walked.
Jefferson to p for Watts. Macdonald popped up to ss. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors,
2 LOB.

Louisiana Tech 7th - Winn walked. Dageford struck out looking. Kersten
struck out swinging. Williams struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors,
1 LOB.

Hawai`i 7th - Grunenwald,N to rf. Gordey to cf for Dageford. Wong popped
up to 3b. Hernandez flied out to rf. Montplaisir struck out swinging. 0
runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Louisiana Tech 8th - Threlkeld struck out swinging. Roliard out at first
1b to p. Combs grounded out to 3b. 0 runs, 0 hits, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Hawai`i 8th - Johnson walked. Roquemore grounded out to p, SAC, bunt;
Johnson advanced to second. Morford intentionally walked. Garcia popped up to
p, bunt. Catricala singled to left field; Morford advanced to second; Johnson
advanced to third. Macdonald flied out to cf. 0 runs, 1 hit, 0 errors, 3
LOB.

Louisiana Tech 9th - Thomas, P. walked. Grunenwald,N out at first 1b to
2b, SAC, bunt; Thomas, P. advanced to second. Winn grounded out to 2b; Thomas,
P. advanced to third. Gordey singled to second base, RBI; Thomas, P. scored.
Gordey stole second. Kersten flied out to cf. 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 1
LOB.

Hawai`i 9th - Wong walked. Hernandez reached on an error by 1b, SAC,
bunt; Wong advanced to second. Roliard to p. / for Jefferson. Montplaisir
grounded out to p, SAC, bunt; Hernandez advanced to second; Wong advanced to
third. Hoey pinch hit for Johnson. Meyers to p for Roliard. Hoey struck out
swinging. Clements to p for Meyers. Roquemore struck out swinging. 0 runs, 0
hits, 1 error, 2 LOB.

Casey Jones pitching 1st inning of game one at Hawaii on May 3, 2009

Sunday, May 3, 2009

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs down the Hawaii Rainbow baseball team 8-4 in third game of series

'Bows Fall 8-4 To Louisiana Tech In Front Of Sold-Out Crowd

5/2/2009 10:10:50 PM

HONOLULU – The University of Hawai`i Rainbow baseball team (26-19, 9-9 WAC) fell to the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (25-18, 10-9) 8-4 in front of a sold-out crowd of 4,567 at Les Murakami Stadium Saturday. Nate Klein (1-3) picked up the loss for UH while John Anderson (6-2) got the win for LTU. Kyle Roliard earned the save for the Bulldogs.
Kevin Macdonald led the way for UH, going 2-for-5 with a home run and two runs. Ryan Morford kept up his hot hitting, going 2-for-5 with a double and one RBI. Landon Hernandez added a 1-for-3 game with two RBI while Sean Montplaisir was 1-for-1 with a run and two walks.
Jesse Moore pitched well in relief, allowing no runs on four hits in 4.2 innings.
The Bulldogs got on the board early, scoring a run in the top of the second. UH answered in the bottom of the inning as Hernandez hit an RBI-single up the middle, tying it at 1-1.
The Rainbows then took the lead in the third inning as Morford doubled in a run, getting it to 2-1. LTU answered in the top of the fourth, hitting two solo home runs to go ahead 3-2. But Macdonald tied it again in the bottom of the fourth, leading off with a solo home run, tying it at 3-3.
Louisiana Tech then broke through in the top of the fifth, scoring five runs on six hits to open up an 8-3 edge.
Hawai`i tried to mount a comeback late in the game. But they were only able to score a run in the seventh while leaving seven runners on base in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings combined, falling by the final of 8-4.
The two teams conclude the series tomorrow at 1:05 p.m. (6:05 p.m. central time TODAY).

Saturday, May 2, 2009

FarmToTable theme of today's program in the Rose Garden of the Walton Art Center with renewable-energy lecture at Night Bird bookstore at 2 p.m.

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of OMNI Springfest poster.

Please click on image to ENLARGE view of poster.

Solar Power Struggle
Professor Richard Hutchinson of Louisiana Tech University in Ruston will speak on "The Struggle for the Solar Future" at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 2, at Nightbird Books on Dickson Street in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
An inquiry into environmental change and the obstacles and opportunities in the path of the renewable energy transition.
Sponsored by OMNI Center for Peace, Justice, and Ecology.