MONROE, La.?Behind a solid
pitching performance by Keith Christensen and a six-run third inning, ULM won
its fourth straight game with a 9-2 victory over Grambling State Friday night
at Warhawk Field.
Christensen (1-0) pitched six
scoreless innings in his second start of the season and picked up his first win
since May 12, 2007. The senior southpaw struck out three batters and scattered
just four hits.
After Matt Collins scored on a
stolen base and wild pitch in the second inning, the Warhawks (4-1) broke the
game open sending 11 batters to the plate in the six-run third inning.
Jordy Poche, Ben Soignier and
Matt Laird had RBI base hits in the inning, while Nick Wade drew a bases loaded
walk and Perry Smith was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Chris Sinclair
closed out the scoring with a sacrifice fly to deep center.
Poche was the lone Warhawk
with multiple hits on the night as the sophomore legged out a pair of doubles.
Poche was ULM's starting pitcher in its 4-3 victory at No. 34 Tulane on
Wednesday night ? he struck out six batters over five innings of work against
the Green Wave.
Sinclair picked up his second
RBI of the night with a groundout to score Laird in the bottom the fifth
inning. Two batters later Boomer Blanchard brought home Wade on a fielder's
choice extending the lead out to 9-0.
Don Williams pitched the final
three innings for the Warhawks to pick up his first save of the season. The
junior right-hander allowed a pair of unearned runs and yielded just one hit.
Grambling (0-5) plated its two
runs in the seventh inning. Anthony Clifton had an RBI single and Joseph Gill
scored as the Warhawks picked off a Tiger base runner.
The teams continue the
three-game series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m. from Warhawk Field. Senior
right-hander Danial McHenry (0-0, 4.91 ERA) will get his second start of the
season on the mound for the Warhawks.
