LAKE CHARLES, La.?ULM pounded out nine extra-base hits including three home
runs in a 9-6 victory at McNeese
State at Cowboy Diamond
Wednesday night in non-conference action.
The Warhawks (18-8, 10-2 Sun Belt) hit six doubles to go
along with the three home runs and scored in five different innings as they
improved to 10-3 on the road this season.
Ben Soignier hit his seventh home run of the season and
fourth in the past four games in the first, Dexter Fontenot broke a streak of
53 at-bats without a homer with a shot to dead center also in the first and
Ryan McMillan hit his fourth of the season in the third.
Scott Stephen (2-0) picked up his second win of the season
tossing a scoreless third and fourth innings in relief of ULM starter Devin Pourciau. The ULM
bullpen combined to allow just two earned runs over the final seven innings of
the game capped off by Derek Ward's sixth save of the season, tying him for
fifth on the single-season list.
Following Soignier's solo shot, Kyle Suire doubled to left setting
up Fontenot's two-run shot in the opening frame.
Soignier picked up his second RBI of the night scoring Nick
Maragas on a fielder's choice extending the Warhawk lead to 4-0 in the second.
The Cowboys (8-19) tied the game with four runs in the
bottom of the second. Kanon Broussard
had a two-run double down the left field line and Keith Patnode recorded a gimme triple which scored a pair when ULM
right fielder Matt Laird slipped on the turf.
After an A.J. Siggers walk, McMillan quickly put the
Warhawks back on top with his homer down the left field line.
Soignier scored ULM's seventh
run of the game scoring on a dropped fly ball by McNeese State
left fielder Josh Cholley. Suire, the beneficiary
of the error, advanced all the way to third on the play and later scored on a wild pitch.
Suire led off the Warhawks half of the sixth inning and
scored on another Cowboy fielding error pushing the lead out to 9-4.
Jona Conrad (0-4) took the loss allowing eight runs ? five earned
? on nine hits through in just four innings of work.
McNeese State added a pair of runs in the seventh
inning on a double by Taylor Freeman off of Kyle Smith.
ULM resumes Sun Belt Conference play
this weekend hosting UALR (6-19, 2-8) in a three-game set beginning Friday
night at 7:00 p.m. on Pack the Park night at Warhawk Field. The Warhawks have won four straight conference
games and hold a two-and-a-half-game lead over Troy heading into the weekend.
