NATCHITOCHES, La. -- Stephen
F. Austin scored three runs with two outs in the top of the eighth inning and
added three more in the ninth to defeat ULM 7-1 Friday afternoon in the opening
game of the NSU Invitational at Brown-Stroud Field.
The Warhawks tied the game at
1-1 in the bottom of the seventh inning on a pinch-hit single by Jordy Poche,
but left the bases loaded. Joey Rapp started the frame with a single and Corben
Green drew a walk to end the day for SFA starter Tyler Herriage.
The first two batters in the
SFA eighth reached on singles and moved up a base on a sacrifice bunt.
Following a ground out and an intentional walk, Jordan Lewis scored the winning
run on a wild pitch. Following another walk, Jackson Hood snuck a ball inside
the third-base line for a two-run double.
Judd Edwards and Caleb Clowers
led the Warhawks with a pair of hits each, while Bryson Myles, Garrett Smith
and Hood each had two hits for the Lumberjacks.
Both starting pitchers
dominated the opening six-and-a-half innings of the game. ULM's Drew Granier
scattered seven hits over seven innings of work; he allowed just one run and
struck out four. Herriage allowed four hits over six innings of work and struck
out six.
The Lumberjacks (3-3) took a
1-0 lead in the third inning on an RBI single by Myles after Bryce Cumming led
off the frame with a double to right.
The Warhawks (2-4) sent the go-ahead
run to the plate in the eighth inning after Green extended his hit streak out
to six games with a two-out single to right-center field and Poche followed
with a walk -- Clowers reached earlier on a one-out single. However, Jason West
was able to strikeout Joey Cesario to end the inning.
SFA pushed across three
insurance runs in the top of the ninth inning on an RBI single by Smith and a
two-run double by Darren Crabtree.
West (1-1) earned the win for
the Jacks after holding the Warhawks scoreless over the final three innings of
the game. Shelby Aulds (0-1) was charged with the loss for ULM after allowing a
pair of runs in a third of an inning of work.
The Warhawks continue play in
the NSU Invitational Saturday when they take on former Sun Belt Conference foe
New Orleans at 11 a.m. Sophomore southpaw Randy Zeigler (0-0, 9.82) will get
the start for ULM while UNO will counter with senior right-hander Tyler Sanders
(0-0, 0.00).
