Marshall University Athletics
HERD CANT HOLD OFF LOUISIANA TECH LATE
4/21/2018 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
BECKLEY, W.Va.-The Thundering Herd baseball team fell 10-6 to Louisiana Tech Saturday at Linda K. Epling Stadium. After building up a four run lead, Marshall couldn't stop a late game comeback that saw the Bulldogs score a combined nine runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
The loss moves The Herd to 17-19 (5-12 C-USA) on the season. Louisiana Tech improved to 28-13 (12-5 C-USA) and remains one of the top contenders for a C-USA championship.
Shane Hanon was the most effective bat for Marshall on the day. The right fielder had two hits, an RBI, and a run in four at-bats. Will Ray and Reynaldo Pastrana also had two hits and an RBI each. Tucker Linder had a team-high two runs to go with his two hits.
Relief pitcher Hunter Sexton was the losing pitcher for Marshall, moving his record to 0-1 on the season. Sexton pitched one inning allowing three hits, five runs (five earned), and walking two with one strikeout. Joshua Shapiro had an excellent day starting on the mound. Shapiro pitched 6 2/3 innings allowing five hits, three runs (three earned, but two after he exited the game), to go along with five walks and four strikeouts.
Louisiana Tech's Tyler Follis earned the win to move to 4-2. Follis pitched 1/3 of an inning allowing one hit, two runs (two earned), while walking one batter and striking out another.
The Herd struck first in the top of the first inning. Hanon doubled down the left field line and found his way home when the next batter up, Ray, hit an RBI single to the left side to make the score 1-0.
In the fourth inning, an RBI single by Andrew Zban scored Linder from second base to make it a 2-0 game.
Marshall expanded its lead again in the fifth after Ray hit a leadoff triple to put immediate pressure on the Bulldogs pitcher. A single by Pastrana was all it took to score the leadoff man and give The Herd a 3-0 lead.
In the sixth, Hanon was able to bat in Erik Rodriguez with a single after Rodriguez advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt, and third on a wild pitch. The run gave Marshall what would end up being its largest lead of the day at 4-0.
It took Louisiana Tech just one inning to make up the difference as they put up four runs to tie the game in the top of the seventh. The Bulldogs took the lead in the eighth inning with another five runs to make it a 9-4 game.
The Herd was able to load the bases in the eighth inning and score a free run on a five pitch walk by Zban that scored Linder. A sacrifice fly by Raul Cabrera also scored Rodriguez and made the score 9-6.
Louisiana Tech was the only team that scored a run in the ninth inning, walking away with the 10-6 victory after going through the first six innings scoreless.
Marshall finished the day with six runs off of 12 hits with four errors. Louisiana Tech had 10 runs off 11 hits with no errors.
Up next The Herd has one more chance to secure a victory against Louisiana Tech Sunday at 10 a.m. before the Capital Classic Diamond Edition against WVU on Tuesday in Charleston.
