MONROE, La.?Josh Lett turned in
another outstanding performance on the mound leading ULM
to a 9-5 win and series victory over Western Kentucky
in Sun Belt Conference baseball action Sunday afternoon at Warhawk Field.
Lett (2-1)
struck out eight Hilltopper batters in 5.1 innings of work allowing pair of
runs on six hits. The senior transfer
from UNC Asheville has allowed just five earned runs in his three starts this
season and currently holds a 2.76 ERA.
Dexter
Fontenot turned in a gritty performance going 3-for-4 and scoring twice on an
injured leg. A.J. Siggers and Ryan
McMillan also had big days with three hits and two RBIs each.
The
Warhawks (7-4, 2-1 Sun Belt) roughed up WKU (6-4, 1-2) starter Matt Hightower
for five runs on six hits in just 2.1 innings.
Coming into the game, Hightower (2-1) had allowed just two earned runs
in 11 innings over two games.
Matt Laird
put ULM on the
board with a two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the second inning breaking
out of a 0-for-20 slump.
Siggers put
the Warhawks up 5-1 in the third inning with a single to center scoring Kyle
Suire and Fontenot. The senior then
stole home on a heads-up base running play after McMillan got caught in a
rundown between first and second.
The
Hilltoppers pulled within three, 5-2, with a single by J.B. Paxson in the fourth,
but ULM quickly
pushed the lead out to 7-2 on a single by Soignier and a wild pitch scoring Jon
Prevost.
Western
Kentucky pushed a couple runs across in the seventh and eight innings, but ULM
countered with a pair of runs in its half of the seventh on a two-run home run
by McMillan, the first of his ULM career and the first allowed by Western Kentucky pitchers this season.
Derek Ward
and Drew Graham combined to close out the game for the Warhawks allowing just three
runs over the final 3.2 innings of the game striking out a pair.
Warhawk
pitchers combined for 11 strikeouts on the game and are averaging 6.8
strikeouts per nine innings this season.
The
Warhawks wrap up their nine-game homestand with a pair of midweek games against
Lamar on Tuesday and Wednesday. First
pitch from Warhawk Field Tuesday is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and Wednesday's
game begins at 3:00 p.m.
