MONROE, La. - The ULM softball team showcased
its offense during a pair of victories in the opening day of the season and of
the ULM Mardi Gras Classic. The Warhawks came from behind for a 9-6 win over
SEMO and run-ruled Jackson State 13-5 in five innings.
Brianna Love highlighted the afternoon for
the Warhawks (2-0) with a pair of towering home runs to left field, while Roxy Cassel
hit a homer and tallied six hits and Amanda Sartoris reached base on three
doubles. In the circle, Heather Fritz picked up a win in 6.1 innings after
fanning four and allowing just one run. Jessica Chastka also earned a victory
in the circle after throwing four innings of work.
"Today we had a total team effort in both
contests," head coach Rosemary Holloway-Hill said. "These wins were a good
momentum builder for the rest of the season. As a team we nearly met every
offensive goal we set out to begin the season."
The Warhawks mounted a furious comeback in
their first game of the season after finding themselves down by five runs after
one inning of play. ULM fought back with tough pitching and five runs over the
final three innings to earn the come from behind victory.
"Fritz pitched an outstanding game against SEMO,"
Holloway-Hill said. "She came in down by five runs and had nothing to lose. She
didn't have total control of her pitches, but was clutch when we needed her to
be."
In the second contest for ULM, its offense
exploded for 12 runs during a three-inning span that included a pair of long
balls by Love and one homer by Cassel. The Warhawks scored seven runs in the
fifth frame to run-rule the Tigers.
"Our newcomers really impressed me today,"
Holloway-Hill said. "They had huge hits at crucial times in the game. Along
with Brianna's big bat, it appears that we are clicking almost every cylinder
on offense."
Game 1
Recap:
The Warhawks mounted a furious comeback in
their first game of the season. After finding themselves down by five runs,
they scored four runs in the first two innings and five over the final three
frames to earn the come from behind victory.
Sartoris led ULM with a 3-for-5 performance,
including a pair of doubles. She also drove in three runs and scored once. Cassel
and Jessica Olguin each scored a pair of runs, while Elise West recorded three
hits and Janel Salanoa drove in two runs.
Carmen Fowler paced SEMO with a 2-for-3 game,
including a double and a three-run homer. She also scored twice and drove in
three runs. Nicole Troncoso tallied a pair of hits and Brittany Gonsoulin drove
in two runs.
SEMO (2-1) struck the scoreboard in the opening
frame with a Gonsoulin two-RBI single to right field. Gonsoulin then stole second
base, before Fowler blasted a three-run homer over the left field wall to give
the Redhawks a 5-0 lead after a half inning play.
ULM responded with a pair of runs in the
first and second inning to cut the deficit to 5-4. Cassel began the comeback with
a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a pass ball. Salanoa
reached on a walk and stole second, before they each scored on a fielding error
in the first inning.
In the second frame Sartoris hit a RBI double
to center field to score Olguin from second base. Love capped the scoring in
the second for the Warhawks after crossing the plate on a fielder's choice.
The Redhawks and Warhawks exchanged runs in
the fourth inning. Fowler doubled to center field to begin the frame and scored
on a Melissa Walker single up the middle to give SEMO a 6-4 advantage. Cassel
cut the Warhawks deficit back to one run, 6-5, after scoring on a Melissa
Rivera RBI single to left field.
ULM took its first lead of the game, 7-6, on
a Salanoa two-RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Sartoris and Love scored on the single after reaching on a single to right
field and up the middle, respectively.
ULM tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the
sixth frame to go ahead 9-6. West began the inning with a single, followed by walks
from Katie Girardi and Love. Sartoris drove in Olguin and Robin Biddle off a
line shot down the left field line. Biddle entered as a pinch runner for Girardi
at second base.
Game 2
Recap:
Love belted a pair of home runs and Cassel
added another long ball as ULM run-ruled the contest 13-5 over Jackson State (0-2).
The Warhawks piled on the runs scoring 12 runs in the final three innings of
the game.
Love once again led the Warhawks, as she
finished 2-for-3 at the plate, to go along with three runs and three RBI.
Cassel finished 3-for-4 and two RBI, while Sartoris and Rivera each scored
twice.
Wendi Reed paced Jackson State with two hits
on three at-bats, while driving in three runs and scoring twice. Delyse
Montgomery also recorded a pair of hits for Tigers.
ULM notched a run on the scoreboard first
frame after Cassel drove in Sartoris on a RBI single up the middle.
The Warhawks added a trio of runs in the top
of the third, as the visiting team on the scoreboard because of tournament
pairings. Love hit a towering shot over the left field wall for her first homer
of the season. Cassel wouldn't be outdone as she smashed a deep homer over the
left field wall for her first of the year. Rivera also scored on an error to
put ULM up 4-0 after three-and-a-half innings.
Jackson State cut its deficit to one run,
4-3, on a three-run home run by Reed. Farr Wright and Aman Boggan scored on the
bomb after reaching on a single and walk, respectively.
The ULM offense then exploded over the final
three frames of the contest, scoring 12 runs, with the assistance of six
Jackson State errors in the game. Love added another home run for good measures
and scored another run in the fifth. Overall, eight players scored in the
lineup and the Warhawks batted around the order in the fifth inning.
The Warhawks will conclude the tournament
tomorrow with a 12 p.m. matchup with Northwestern State.
