MONROE, La.?Following a pair of one-run games to open the
series, ULM erased the suspense early in Sunday's series finale jumping out to
a 10-0 lead after the first three innings en route to a 13-5 blowout of Florida
Atlantic to complete the three-game Sun Belt Conference sweep at Warhawk Field.
The Warhawks improve to 17-8 on the season and 10-2
in the Sun Belt while Florida Atlantic falls to 16-9 and 6-4 in the
league. The Owls entered the weekend percentage points
ahead of ULM in
the Sun Belt standings, but now find themselves three games behind the
Warhawks.
ULM has won all four of its Sun Belt
series this season and has sweeps over New
Orleans and Florida Atlantic. UNO was picked to finish second in the league
and the Owls were tabbed fourth while the Warhawks were picked eighth by the
league's coaches.
Ben Soignier continued to haunt the Owls going 2-for-5 from
the plate with his third home run of the series. The junior shortstop finished the series 7-for-13
with seven RBIs and earned the win on the mound in Saturday's contest.
Kyle Suire put the Warhawks on the board with a single to
right center and Ryan McMillan blasted a ball over the left field wall pushing
the lead to 4-0 with his third home run of the season in the bottom of the first.
Soignier extended the lead to 6-0 with his sixth home run of
the season in the second.
Following the third consecutive 1-2-3 inning by Warhawk
pitcher Josh Lett, ULM
put the game out of reach with four in the bottom of the third.
Nick Maragas doubled into the gap in left center scoring
McMillan, who doubled earlier, and Jon Prevost immediately followed with his
first home run of the season ? a three-run shot to left field.
Prevost finished the game 2-for-3 with four RBIs.
Lett (5-1) picked up his fifth victory of the season
allowing four runs on seven hits in six innings. He now leads the Sun Belt in conference
victories with four.
D.J. Fortenberry tossed the final three innings allowing
just one run on four hits picking up his first save of the season.
The Warhawks only used six pitchers in the series as the ULM bullpen combined to
allow just one earned run in 10 2/3 innings ? 0.84 ERA ? scattering 10 hits and
striking out five.
The Owls pushed single runs across in the fourth and fifth
innings and a pair in the sixth, but the Warhawks thwarted the rally with one
in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Maragas led of the bottom of the fifth with his first home
run of the season while Dexter Fontenot scored on a wild pitch and McMillan
scored when Prevost was hit by a pitch in the sixth.
ULM steps out of conference on
Wednesday night at McNeese
State for a single game
at 7:00 p.m. before hosting UALR (4-19, 1-8) next weekend.
The weekly Dugout Luncheon will take place Monday at noon at Catfish Cabin on Louisville Ave. in Monroe.
