MONROE, La.?Florida
International rallied from a four-run deficit with seven runs over a three
inning stretch to defeat ULM 7-6 on Sunday afternoon to win the Sun Belt
Conference series at Warhawk Field.
Boomer Blanchard led off the bottom of the first inning with his 10th
home run of the season to give ULM (25-18, 12-12 Sun Belt) a 1-0 lead -- it was the first lead-off home run of the season for ULM.
After a Ben Soignier walk in
the third, Matt Collins doubled to put runners on second and third for Matt
Laird. Laird, who hit two home runs and a triple in the series opener Friday
night, doubled to left-center field to plate both runs. Ryan McMillan followed
with a single to left to increase the lead to 4-0.
Blanchard, Collins, Laird,
McMillan and Tom O'Gorman all had two hits for the Warhawks, while Laird and
McMillan each drove home a pair of runs.
The Golden Panthers (27-15,
12-9) fought back to tie the game in the top of the fourth inning doing all
their damage with two outs. Steven Stropp started the rally with what seemed at
the time like a harmless single to right field. Tim Jobe followed by crushing a
home run over the scoreboard in left-center field.
Two straight singles and a
walk loaded the bases for Junior Arrojo who doubled off the wall in left field to
score a pair. Soignier moved from shortstop to the mound and struck out Pablo
Bermudez to end the inning. Arrojo finished the game 2-for-5 with a game-high
three RBIs.
In the fifth inning, FIU scored
two more with two outs on back-to-back singles by Raiko Alfonso and Michael
Vargas ? Alfonso was thrown out at the plate by Perry Smith for the third out
as he tried to score from second on the Vargas single.
The Warhawks came right back
to tie the game in the bottom of the inning with RBI doubles from McMillan and
Smith after Laird led off the inning with a single.
The back-and-forth affair
continued in the sixth as Lammar Guy led off the inning with a triple to
right-center. Arrojo then popped up a ball behind second base which would have
been a routine out, but against a drawn in infield it fell for a single and the
game-winning RBI. Bermudez followed with a double to put runners on second and
third with nobody out for the 4-5-6 hitters in the lineup. Drew Graham came out
of the bullpen and struck out two of the three batters and got the other to pop
up in the infield to get the Warhawks out of the inning.
ULM had opportunities in both
the seventh and eighth innings with runners on the corners but
couldn't muster a run. The Warhawks stranded 12 runners on the game.
Daniel DeSimone (4-3) picked
up the win for FIU allowing a pair of hits and striking out three over 2.1
innings of work. Eric Berkowitz picked up his second save of the season and of
the weekend throwing the final 2.1 innings allowing just one hit and striking
out three.
Soignier (0-1) took the loss
for ULM allowing three runs on six hits over 1.1 innings of work. Graham threw
the final four innings for the Warhawks allowing just one hit to go with four
strikeouts.
The Warhawks travel to
Beaumont, Texas, on Tuesday and Wednesday for a pair of non-conference games
against Lamar.
