MONROE, La. ? The Warhawks softball team had its chances early, but couldn't capitalize in a doubleheader sweep against Troy on Saturday evening at the ULM Softball Complex. The Warhawks dropped the opener by an 8-2 score before falling 16-4 in the nightcap.
“We didn't really execute when we had the chances,” ULM softball head coach Rosemary Holloway-Hill said. “When we found ourselves in a whole we played even tighter and allowed it to snowball. I thought our focus wasn't there tonight and we just didn't execute well at all.”
Senior Lindsay Rittenhouse (3-8) was cruising along in the opener and went through the first four innings without allowing a hit to the Trojans. Troy (16-13, 3-2 Sun Belt) broke through in the fifth inning when two unearned runs scored in front of a three-run homer with two outs.
ULM (9-16, 1-4 Sun Belt) answered in the bottom half of the frame, picking up an unearned run on an RBI single by junior Erica Darden to cut the deficit to 5-1.
The Trojans put the game out of reach in the top of the seventh inning with three runs, including two unearned, against sophomore Kandace Causey. A dropped third strike and fielding error by the first baseman allowed an unearned run to score for the Warhawks in the bottom half of the inning and make it an 8-2 final score.
In the second game, the Trojans poured on the offense early and kept it going through the end. Troy's Davis hit a three-run homer to put the visitors up early and followed it up with a grand slam in the second inning to make it a 7-0 lead.
ULM would make a push, scoring four runs of their own in the bottom half of the second inning to cut the deficit to three. The Warhawks loaded the bases with a pair of hits and a walk with only one out before Darden forced home a run after taking four balls. Senior Jamie Liles cleared the bases with a double to left centerfield, but ULM could draw no closer.
“I was happy to see Jamie hit the ball like she is capable,” Holloway-Hill said. “She hasn't been able to find that groove, but I thought she was able to come around now.”
Troy added four runs in the third inning and another five in the fourth to complete the shortened game and make it a 16-4 final.
The Warhawks and Trojans wrap up the three-game series on Sunday when they play at 1 p.m. at the ULM Softball Complex.
