MONROE, La.?ULM
pounded out three home runs and the bullpen tossed 7.2 innings of three-run ball
as the Warhawks defeated Sam Houston State 11-9 Saturday afternoon setting up
the rubber game on Sunday.
A.J.
Siggers and Kyle Suire each belted their third homers of the season and Louie
Lancaster hit his first in his first career start.
The Warhawks have hit three or more home runs in three of their seven
games this season.
ULM (5-2) turned the ball over to D.J.
Fortenberry (1-0) in the third inning and the senior threw 3.2 innings allowing
just one run on four hits to earn the victory.
Scott
Stephen and Derek Ward closed out the game for the Warhawks tossing
the final two innings allowing a pair of hits and one earned run. Ward picked up his second save of the season
in the process.
After
combining to score 15 runs over the first three innings of the games, only five
runs crossed the plate over the final six innings of action.
The
Warhawks belted 15 hits Saturday after the Bearkats (3-3) held them to a
season-low five in Friday's series opener.
Ben
Soignier, Ryan McMillan and Matt Collins each had three hits to lead ULM.
Bobby
Verbick hit the first of his two home runs of the game in the first inning
giving Sam Houston State a 3-0 lead before an out was recorded.
Dexter
Fontenot put the Warhawks on the board in their half of the first with a
sacrifice fly and Siggers tied it up with a two-run homer.
After the
Bearkats regained the lead with a run in the top half of the second, the
Warhawks exploded for five runs in their half of the frame.
Four of ULM's first five batters in the inning had extra base hits
including Lancaster's
two-run home run. Nick Wade had an RBI
double and McMillan scored Suire on a single through the left side of the
infield.
Todd Sebek
drove home Sam Houston State's
fifth run of the game and Ryan Trevino hit a sac fly pulling the Bearkats
within 9-6 in third.
Lancaster scored on a wild pitch in the bottom
of the third after reaching on a fielding error by the Sam Houston third
baseman.
The
Bearkats plated a run in the fifth and ULM
answered with a pair in the eighth on Suire's home run and a single by Collins
to score Siggers.
Sam Houston
State mounted a rally in the ninth with
Verbick's second home run and an RBI single by Heath Pugh. The Bearkats had the potential winning run at
the plate, but Ward struck out Daniel Bottebart to end the game; Ward recorded
strikeouts for four of his eight outs.
The teams
wrap up the series tomorrow afternoon at 1:00 p.m. The Warhawks will send Drew Graham (1-0,
1.23) to the mound while the Bearkats will throw Zach Neal (0-0, 0.00).
ULM 11, Sam Houston State 9 (Mar 01, 2008 at Monroe, La.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Sam Houston State... 312 010 002 - 9 14 2 (3-3)
ULM................. 351 000 02X - 11 15 3 (5-2)
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Pitchers: Sam Houston State - Gallant, Dallas; Powers, Brent(2); Tepera, Ryan(7). ULM -
Kirk, Ryan; Fortenberry, D.J.(3); Stephen, Scott(7); Ward, Derek(8).
Win-Fortenberry, D.J.(1-0) Save-Ward, Derek(2) Loss-Gallant, Dallas(0-1) T-3:00 A-503
HR SHSU - Verbick, Bobby 2 (5).
HR ULM - Suire, Kyle (3); Siggers, A.J. (3); Lancaster, Louie (1).
Fortenberry faced 1 batter in the 7th.
