MONROE, La.-Nick
Wade hit a
two-out, two-strike, two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning
to rally ULM
past Memphis 10-9 Wednesday night at Warhawk Field. Wade, who finished
3-for-4
with a pair of runs scored and two RBIs, led an ULM offensive attack
that
belted out 12 hits on the night.
The Warhawks (5-4)
were forced
to come from behind after Memphis scored two runs in the top of the
eighth off
ULM closer Wil Browning - the runs were the first allowed by the
right-hander
all year long.
Browning battled
back to strikeout the first
two batters of the ninth inning and appeared to have retired Robby
Graham to
end the game with a grounder back up the middle. However, the sharply
hit ball
hit Browning on the leg and catapulted into left field. Derrick Thomas
then
laced a double into right-center, but center fielder Shane Ardoin and
second
baseman Caleb Clowers hooked up on a perfect relay to throw Graham out
at
the plate.
Josh Gill upped his
batting
average to .438 on the young season after going 3-for-4 at the plate.
Judd
Edwards was 2-for-5 with his sixth double of the season, Clowers was
2-for-4
with a pair of RBIs and Josh Chappell finished 2-for-4 with three runs
driven
in.
Browning (1-0)
picked up the
win for the Warhawks allowing the two runs over two innings of work.
Marc
Ashley (0-1) worked the eighth inning for Memphis (4-8) and was charged
with
the loss after allowing two runs on two hits.
Memphis took a 2-0
lead in the
top of the first inning, but the Warhawks charged back with a seven-run
fourth
inning.
Wade doubled,
Edwards singled
and Jordy Poche walked to load the bases with nobody out in the inning.
Wade
scored ULM's first run of the game on a ground out to second by Perry
Smith and
Chappell followed with a two-run single back up the middle.
Chappell advanced
to second on
the throw to the plate, advanced to third on a fly out and scored on a
squeeze bunt single by Gill.
Blanchard then reached on a throwing error by Memphis third baseman Adam
McClain,
which allowed Gill to score. Clowers
made Memphis pay for the error as he crushed the first pitch he saw from
Chase
Joiner over the wall in right field for his first career home run.
The Tigers battled
back with
five unanswered runs plating a single run in the fifth, two in the sixth
and
two in the seventh. Jacob Wilson and McClain had back-to-back doubles
and
Phillip Chapman followed with a single to tie the game at 7-7 in the top
of the
seventh inning.
Chappell gave the
Warhawks a
temporary 8-7 lead in the bottom of the seventh with a two-out home run
that
bounced off the top of the left-field wall before going over.
Six Memphis players
had two hits on the night as the Tigers finished with 16 as a unit.
The Warhawks open
Sun Belt
Conference play this weekend when they travel to Murfreesboro, Tenn., to
take
on defending conference champion and preseason favorite Middle
Tennessee.
