MONROE, La. -- Logan Uxa hit a
pair of home runs and Sun Belt Preseason Pitcher of the Year Jacob Lee did not
allow an earned run to lead Arkansas State past ULM 13-3 in the series finale
Sunday at Warhawk Field.
The Warhawks (17-13, 5-7 Sun
Belt) scored all three of its runs in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead, but
the Red Wolves (14-20, 4-8) scored the game's final 12 runs to claim the series
victory.
Lee (3-3) tossed a
complete-game five-hitter to pick up the victory. Jordan Castaldo finished
3-for-3 with three RBIs, while Todd Baumgartner added two hits and three RBIs.
ULM was within striking
distance and had its chances to tie the game or take the lead with a runner in
scoring position in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, but couldn't get the crucial
hit. ASU blew the game open with five straight two-out hits in the eighth,
including back-to-back homers by Castaldo and Uxa, and a six-run ninth.
Michael Faulkner gave the Red
Wolves a 1-0 lead in the first inning after drawing a lead-off walk. He moved
to second on a ground out and then stole third and scored on a throwing error
by the Warhawks.
Three unearned runs in the
third gave the Warhawks a 3-1 lead. Jeremy Sy singled home Matt Laird for the
first run of the inning after Laird dislodged the ball from third baseman Zach
George's glove in a run down. Caleb Clowers drove home Les Aulds with a sac fly
to left and Joey Rapp hammered a double to deep center field to score Sy.
Rapp's double extended his hit
streak out to 10 games and a walk by Aulds in the fifth extended his streak of
reaching base safely to all 27 games he has played in this season.
The Red Wolves answered right
back with three runs of their own in the top of the fourth. Castaldo delivered
a two-out single to right to score the first run and Uxa followed with a
two-run homer to right.
Kendall Thamm (0-1) pitched effectively
for the Warhawks but was charged with the loss. He allowed four runs -- three
earned -- on six hits in 5.2 innings of work. The ULM bullpen allowed nine runs
in 3.1 innings.
The Warhawks embark on a
five-day, four-game road trip next week. They will open with a non-conference
matchup at Jackson State on Wednesday before traveling down to Boca Raton,
Fla., for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series at Florida Atlantic over the
weekend.
