THE RUNDOWN
No. 20 DBU (30-13, 13-5 CUSA) took home another series win on Sunday, topping Conference USA foe Louisiana Tech (26-18, 11-7 CUSA) at JC Love Field in Ruston, Louisiana. Ryan Borberg set the tone on the mound for the Patriots, flashing a plus splitter as he racked up six strikeouts in 7.0 shutout innings.
 
Starting pitching dictated the early pace of Sunday's rubber match between the top two teams in the CUSA standings. The Patriots put a runner aboard in each of the first two innings but failed to advance him past first. Meanwhile, Ryan Borberg was flawless out of the gate, retiring the Bulldogs in order through the first two frames.
 
Both offenses, however, showed signs of life in the third. Mason Swinney opened the top half with a single through the left side. After two quick outs, Nathan Humphreys was hit by a pitch to move Swinney into scoring position, but Landon Fontenot buckled down and struck out Chayton Krauss to keep DBU off the board. In the bottom half, LA Tech mirrored the threat, stringing together back-to-back singles from Eli Berch and Will Safford to put runners on first and second, but an unfazed Borberg dispatched the top two hitters in the Bulldog lineup to preserve the scoreless tie.
 
The Patriots broke through in the fourth with a two-out rally. Ben Tryon worked a full count into a base hit, and Dylan Schlaegel followed with another single to put two on with two outs. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, and Mason Swinney capitalized, launching a fly ball to deep left-center field for a two-run double to put DBU in front 2-0.
 
The Patriots added more in the fifth. With Fontenot out of the game and Logan Forsythe now on the hill, Grant Jay sparked the inning with a leadoff walk, and Humphreys cashed in with a line drive over the left-field fence for his 14th home run of the season and a 4-0 Patriot lead.
 
Borberg remained in full control, striking out five while scattering just two hits and a walk over five scoreless innings. In the sixth, the Bulldogs threatened again by putting runners on first and second, but the junior right-hander quickly slammed the door, getting Colton Coates to roll into a groundout to preserve the shutout.
 
Looking to add some late-inning insurance, DBU tacked on another run in the seventh. At the top of the order, Keaton Grady watched ball four on a full count before taking advantage of a pair of wild pitches to reach third base. Nathan Humphreys then delivered his third RBI of the day, driving a single up the middle to plate Grady and stretch the gap to 5-0.
 
Jerrod Jenkins relieved Borberg in the eighth and picked up right where he left off. Making his second appearance of the series, Jenkins needed to see only one more than the minimum to complete the day and secure a series win for the Patriots.
 
THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Staying atop the Conference USA standings, DBU has won five of its six conference series.
- Ryan Borberg had one of his most impressive outings of the year, striking out six batters and surrendering only two hits and three walks in his season-long 7.0 innings of shutout work.
- Nathan Humphreys went 2-3 with a home run, three RBI, and a run. He has now collected at least three RBI in three of the last five games.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
17 - In the series against LA Tech, DBU scored 17 of its 24 runs with two outs.
45 - Grant Jay has reached base in 45 consecutive games, the first Patriot with such a streak since Jimmy Glowenke (53).
56 - With three RBI on Sunday, Nathan Humphreys reached a new career high for RBI in a season with 56.
 
UP NEXT
DBU will be back at home for its last home midweek game of the year on Wednesday. The Patriots will take on Abilene Christian (27-15, 11-7 WAC) at Horner Ballpark with first pitch slated for 6:05 p.m. Read Full Article