MONROE, La. - In a
back-and-forth battle, Northwestern State scored last with two runs in
the top
of the sixth inning and three insurance runs in the ninth to defeat ULM
10-6
Tuesday night at Warhawk Field in the final non-conference game of the
season
for both schools.
The game featured
four lead
changes over a four inning stretch in the middle part of the contest.
The
Demons (33-19) were able to take advantage of a couple Warhawk (17-35)
errors
and a passed ball to score three unearned runs in the game.
In the sixth, Oscar
Garcia
tied the game at 6-all with an RBI single to right-center field. Munoz
scored
on the play after reaching on a leadoff walk and moving to second on a
ULM
error. Chase Lyles plated the game-winner with a single through the left
side
of the infield.
Northwestern State
jumped out
to a 3-0 lead with a run in each of the first three innings. Lyles,
Munoz and
Tyler Baisley all had RBIs for the Demons. Eric LeBlanc extended his hit
streak
out to 25 games with a 2-for-5 performance while Garcia finished 2-for-3
and
Baisley was 2-for-5.
The Warhawks took
the lead
with back-to-back homers off the bats of Judd Edwards and Nick Wade in
the
bottom of the third. Edwards' second blast of the season followed
back-to-back
singles up the middle by Shane Ardoin and Caleb Clowers. Wade's 13th
home run of the season moved him into a tie for fifth place all-time in
ULM
history with 31 career homers.
Clowers turned in
his 26th
multi-hit game of the season as he was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs
scored. Wade
also singled in the first inning and finished the game 2-for-4 with a
pair of
runs scored.
Munoz tied the game
at 4-all
with a triple to right in the fourth to score Trevor Geist after he
reached on
an error to lead off the frame. Trent Grondin followed Geist's triple
with a
single to center field to put the Demons in front 5-4.
After being held
scoreless in
the fourth, the Warhawks regained the lead with two runs in the fifth. A
single
and a pair of walks loaded the bases with one out. Following a pitching
change,
Casey Auttonberry drew a five-pitch walk to tie the game and Wade scored
on a
passed ball to give the Warhawks the lead.
A two-out rally
plated three
Northwestern State insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning.
Following a
pair of singles and a hit batter, Colin Bear doubled off the top of the
wall in
left field to clear the bases.
Neither starter
factored into
the decision as ULM's Devin Pourciau nor NSU's Mason Melotakis lasted
more than
five innings. Andrew Plotkin (4-3) worked two-thirds of an inning
without
allowing a hit to pick up the win. Luke Briley (0-1) took the loss after
allowing four runs on five hits in four innings of work - he had allowed
just
one run on two hits before the ninth inning.
The Warhawks close
out the
2010 season with a three-game Sun Belt Conference series against
in-state rival
ULL on Thursday, Friday and Saturday - all three games will start at 6
p.m.
