MONROE, La. ? Freshman Taylor Renshaw picked up a career-high three RBI, but the Warhawks softball team couldn't hold an early lead in falling 6-4 against Stephen F. Austin at the ULM Softball Complex on Tuesday evening.
Renshaw capped a three-run second inning with a two-RBI homer to straightaway centerfield to give the Warhawks a 3-0 early lead, but a run in the third and a trio of unearned ticks in the fifth moved the Lady Jacks in front for good.
“Taylor did a good job of getting us an early lead, but we had a melt down in the fifth inning,” ULM softball head coach Rosemary Holloway-Hill said. “We made too many mistakes and allowed them to get ahead. The big inning got us tonight.”
ULM (15-27) drew first blood in the game. After being retired 1-2-3 in the first, junior Megan Miller led off the second with a double off the centerfield wall. Pinch runner Elyse Stark advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt before coming home on an RBI single by freshman Molly McNeill.
One batter later Renshaw connected on the first home run of her career.
Stephen F. Austin (28-17) would settle in and retire the next 14 batters to allow its offense to put it ahead. The Lady Jacks got one back in the next frame after a leadoff walk came around to score.
Things fell apart for the Warhawks in the fifth as a pair of errors and two two-out bases loaded walks allowed three unearned runs to score and give SFA the 4-3 lead.
The Lady Jacks would tack on two more in the top of the sixth after back-to-back solo homers to chase senior Lindsay Rittenhouse (5-13).
Miller would again jump start the ULM offense after leading off the seventh inning with a base hit. Two outs later Renshaw doubled pinch runner Cary Roussel home to make it a 6-4 game. Pinch hitter Christy Waguespack hit the ball hard the other way, but flew out to the SFA rightfielder on feet short of the wall to end the game.
The Warhawks return to action tomorrow afternoon when they host Northwestern State in a doubleheader at the ULM Softball Complex starting at 4 p.m. The Warhawks will honor ULM employees at the game as part of Faculty Appreciation Day.
