BOWLING GREEN, Ky.-No. 22
Western Kentucky completed a doubleheader and weekend series sweep of ULM with
a 10-8 victory in game two of Saturday's twin bill at Nick Denes Field. The
Hilltoppers have now seven straight and 11 of their last 12 games.
WKU (20-5, 6-0 Sun Belt) took
an 8-1 lead with seven unanswered over four innings and held off a pair of late
rallies by the Warhawks to pick up the victory. ULM scored five runs in the
seventh and two in the ninth, but the Hilltoppers were able to end both threats
with their lead intact.
The Warhawks put the tying run
on base in the top of the ninth following a pair of walks by WKU closer Rye
Davis, a fielding error to score a run and an RBI single by Caleb Clowers. However,
Davis got a called third strike on an 0-2 pitch to end the game.
Matt Payton paced the 14-hit
attack by the Hilltoppers going 2-for-4 with a pair of triples and four RBIs.
Jared Andreoli was 3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs, while Casey Dykes was 2-for-4
and Kory Petri was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored.
Boomer Blanchard finished
3-for-4 with a pair of RBIs to lead the Warhawks at the plate as they finished
with 11 hits as a team. Jarrett Hammond was 2-for-3 and finished the
doubleheader 5-for-6 after he entered the day with four hits on the season.
Judd Edwards added a pair of hits and an RBI in five at-bats.
WKU broke open a 1-1 game with
two runs in the fifth and five runs in the sixth to stake an 8-1 advantage.
Payton's first triple of the game broke the tie in the fifth. He then scored
the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Kes Carter. Payton had the
big blow in the sixth with a bases-loaded triple past a diving Josh Chappell at
first base.
ULM (9-14, 3-6) loaded the
bases with nobody out in the top of the seventh and finished the inning with
five runs to pull within two, 8-6. Taylor Adballa drew a bases-loaded walk and
Shane Ardoin was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to plate the first two
runs of the inning. Blanchard singled to right to score Hammond and then
Edwards and Josh Gill followed with back-to-back RBI ground outs.
The Hilltoppers plated a pair
of much needed insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth on a pair of two-out
singles by Carter and Matt Rice.
Tanner Perkins (3-0) picked up
the victory for WKU allowing three runs on nine hits over six innings of work.
Davis worked the final two innings for the Hilltoppers to earn his fourth save
of the season.
Jordy Poche (1-2) suffered the
loss for the Warhawks after allowing eight runs - seven earned - on 11 hits
over 5.1 innings of work.
The Warhawks travel to Lake
Charles, La., on Tuesday for a non-conference game at McNeese State before
returning home for four games in four days beginning with Grambling State on
Wednesday.
