MONROE, La. ? In a game that featured its share of oddities, Centenary was able to use a late offensive surge to down the Warhawks softball team, 7-1, at the ULM Softball Complex on Thursday night.
“I was proud of the way Heather Fritz played tonight,” ULM softball head coach Rosemary Holloway-Hill said. “The momentum really changed in the fifth inning and it just took too long for us to recover from it.”
After allowing a pair of walks in the opening frame, freshman starter Heather Fritz (2-2) settled in and kept the Ladies bats at bay. Fritz retired 10 straight before running into trouble in the fourth inning.
With two outs in the fourth, Haley Bassett roped a double into left centerfield. The next batter, Lauren Flowers, gave the Ladies a 1-0 lead with a single up the middle.
Centenary (22-15) broke the game open with three runs in the top of the fifth inning. After seeing one Lady run score and having another on second base with two outs the Warhawks thought they had escaped the inning when the third runner was called out on a runner's interference.
Following an extended discussion, the run was allowed to score and the ULM defense was put back on the field. Centenary added a third run in the frame to make it a 4-0 lead and chase Fritz from the game.
The Ladies added two more runs in the sixth inning and another in the seventh for the 7-0 lead.
ULM (9-20) wouldn't go away easily, forcing the bases loaded in the final frame before a sacrifice fly by freshman Melissa Rivera plated senior Christy Waguespack.
“We showed some fight in the seventh inning, but it was way too late,” Holloway-Hill said. “We have to start it earlier.”
The Warhawks will look to snap a season-long six-game skid on Saturday when they travel to Murfreesboro to take on league-foe Middle Tennessee in the first of three games at 1 p.m. ULM begins a nine-game stretch away from home with the series against the Blue Raiders.
