THE RUNDOWN
DBU (29-9, 13-3) made quick work of Louisiana Tech (20-19, 9-7), 9-1, in a game that lasted a minute shy of two hours at Horner Ballpark on Friday night. The Patriots now have 12 straight wins, matching the program record set by the 2004 and 2015 squads.
 
After three innings of one-hit baseball from the Bulldogs' starter Jonathan Fincher, Jace Grady broke the scoreless game with a two-run shot to left field in the bottom of the third. Miguel Santos then singled and stole second to set up Ethan Mann for an RBI single that put DBU up, 3-0.
 
Ryan Johnson took a shutout into the fifth but ran into trouble when the first three Louisiana Tech hitters each singled to give the Bulldogs their first run of the contest. With runners on second and third and no outs, Johnson punched out the next batter and induced poor contact from the two subsequent hitters to escape the frame with only one run against his name.
 
In the home half of the fifth, Nate Rombach crushed a fly ball to center field for a two-run home run, and Nathan Humphreys followed suit later in the inning with a solo blast for a 6-1 Patriot lead.
 
Louisiana Tech put two runners in scoring position without an out on the board again in the sixth, Johnson worked more of his magic, allowing a walk but striking out the side to escape the jam unharmed.
 
The sixth would be Johnson's last inning of work. He earned his fifth quality start of the year, working six innings of one-run baseball and registering nine strikeouts opposite a walk and one run allowed.
 
Jaron DeBerry picked up where Johnson left off in the seventh. Aided by three runs in DBU's last two offensive frames, the junior transfer earned the first save of his career thanks to a three-inning appearance where he fanned a trio of Bulldogs and surrendered only one hit without conceding a run. 
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Friday's win gives DBU 12 in a row, tying the DBU Division I program record for the longest winning streak (April 2-20, 2004; March 6-21, 2015).
- Jace Grady went 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBI, falling a triple short of the cycle.
- Nathan Humphreys made his return to the starting lineup after missing 10 games. He had a 2-for-4 night with two runs, a double, a home run, and an RBI while also making a dazzling diving catch in the second inning.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
0 - The Patriot bullpen has not allowed a run in four of the last five games.
3 - DBU hit both three doubles and three home runs on Friday night.
9 - Ryan Johnson has struck out nine or more batters in five consecutive starts.
 
HEAD COACH DAN HEEFNER ON RYAN JOHNSON WORKING OUT OF TOUGH SITUATIONS
"He did a great job for us.… Twice he had guys in scoring position with zero or one [out]. He really stepped it up. I thought he made great pitches all night but especially in those leverage situations."
 
UP NEXT
Due to anticipated inclement weather on Sunday, games two and three of the series between DBU and Louisiana Tech have been moved to a doubleheader on Saturday. Game two will start at 2:00 pm, and the series finale will begin 45 minutes after the conclusion of game two.
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