MONROE, La.-ULM
scored four
runs over the final three innings, but came up one run short as Southern
Miss
won its fifth consecutive game by handing the Warhawks their first home
loss of
the season, 8-7, Wednesday night at Warhawk Field.
ULM chipped away at
a 7-2
Southern Miss lead as Judd Edwards scored on a double play in the sixth,
Nick
Wade homered for the fourth time in six games with two outs in the
seventh and
Josh Gill singled the center to score Josh Chappell three batters later.
Against Southern
Miss closer
Collin Cargill, who had allowed just one hit all season long, the
Warhawks put
together third hits and scored two runs in the eighth and ninth innings.
Wade
drove in his third run of the game with a single to center in the eighth
and
Josh Gill scored on a Perry Smith grounder in the ninth. Cargill was the
beneficiary
of a called third strike on the inside black of the plate to end the
game.
Wade for 3-for-5 at
the plate
for the second consecutive game and his three RBIs came one night after
he
drove in a career-high five runs at Northwestern State on Tuesday. Caleb
Clowers had a career-best four hits, Judd Edwards was 2-for-5 with a run
scored
and Gill finished 2-for-4 as the Warhawks outhit Southern Miss 13-10 on
the
night.
Three Warhawk
pitchers
combined to strike out a season-high 14 Southern Miss batters -- ULM
used five total pitchers on the night. ULM is now
averaging 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings on the season. However,
ULM issued 11 walks and
Southern Miss (12-4) scored all its runs with two outs.
The Warhawks (7-9)
took a 1-0
lead on a single by Wade to plate Boomer Blanchard in the bottom of the
first
inning, but were not able to score again after loading the bases with
nobody
out.
Southern Miss
responded with a
five-run second inning thanks to four walks in the frame, three of which
came
around to score. Kameron Bunty, the ninth batter of the inning, had the
big hit
with a two-run single to center.
Clowers pulled the
Warhawks
within two, 5-2, with a single between first and second to score
Blanchard
after he reached on a fielder's choice.
The Golden Eagles
increased
their lead back out to five, 7-2, on a two-run double by Taylor Walker
following a two-out walk and double in the fifth.
Mark Ellis drove
home what
appeared to be an insurance run, but proved to be the winning run, in
the top
of the eighth with a single to right after Brunty kept the inning alive
with a
two-out double to left field.
Ryan MacNamara
(1-0) picked up
the win for Southern Miss as he allowed three runs on six hits over five
innings
of work. He struck out seven and walked three in his first career start
for the
Golden Eagles. Despite battling through the trouble in the eighth and
ninth, Cargill
picked up his second save of the season. John McDermid (0-1) was charged
with the loss for ULM after allowing five runs on third hits in 1.2
innings of work. He struck out three and walked seven.
The Warhawks host
New Orleans
this weekend in the last Sun Belt Conference series between the two
schools, as
the Privateers will leave the league following the season. First pitch
is
scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, 4 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.
