MONROE, La.?ULM scored runs in
seven of eight innings to win for the ninth time in 11 games and end
Louisiana-Lafayette's seven-game win streak in the process with a punishing
16-7 victory Friday night in the Sun Belt Conference series opener at Warhawk
Field.
Don Williams (4-0) came within
three outs of his third consecutive complete game as he went eight innings allowing
just one earned run. He struck out five and issued just one walk in the winning effort for the Warhawks.
Ben Soignier finished 4-for-6
with three RBIs, while Jordy Poche, Jon Prevost and Perry Smith all had three
hits on the night. Nick Wade and Boomer Blanchard each added two hits as ULM pounded out 17
as a team.
Williams pitched around some
early trouble as ULM committed four errors over the first three innings. The reigning
Louisiana Pitcher of the Week held Louisiana-Lafayette scoreless over four
straight innings in the middle of the ballgame after the Ragin' Cajuns scored five
runs over the first three innings of the game.
The Warhawks broke open a 5-5
game with a run in the fourth, three in the fifth and two in the sixth.
Matt Laird gave ULM a 6-5 lead with his second sacrifice fly of the
night in the fourth inning.
Back-to-back walks to Wade and
Poche jump-started the ULM fifth as Smith followed with a double to deep
right-center field to open the scoring. Blanchard followed with a single to
left field to force a pitching change which brought Zach Osborne into the game.
Osborne hit Prevost to load the bases and Soignier increased the Warhawk lead
to 9-5 with his team-leading 39th RBI of the season ? he would go on
to add another in the eighth inning.
Smith struck again in the
sixth with a two-out, two-run single to right pushing the lead out to 11-5.
The teams traded runs over the
first three innings of the game with each scoring two in the first inning. The
Warhawks took their first lead of the game, 4-2, in the second inning on Wade's
fourth home run of the season and Soignier's first RBI of the night with a
single up the middle.
ULL scored three more unearned
runs in the top of the third inning as the Warhawks committed two of their
season-high five errors on the night in the frame. Travis Whipple, Chad Keefer
and Scott Hawkins all had RBIs in the inning for the Ragin' Cajuns.
ULM answered ULL's two runs in
the top of the first with a pair of sacrifice flies by Laird and Matt Collins
in its first at-bat of the night.
The Warhawks tacked on five
more runs in the eighth inning as they sent 10 batters to the plate.
ULM chased ULL starter Alex Fuselier
in the third inning and scored four more runs off Blake Haagen, who was the
first Ragin' Cajun out of bullpen. Haagen (2-1) took the loss for the ULL and
was one of four pitchers used on the night.
Whipple led ULL going 4-for-4
at the plate, while Greg Fontenot added a 3-for-4 performance.
Due to the threat of impending
inclement weather in the Monroe area on Sunday afternoon, the teams will play a
doubleheader on Saturday afternoon beginning at 1 p.m. to complete the
three-game Sun Belt Conference baseball series.
