SAN ANTONIO - The ULM baseball team swept
both games of a Sunday doubleheader, downing Texas-San Antonio 7-3 and 7-2 to
win the opening series of the 2012 season.
The Warhawks (1-1) pushed across the day's
first run in the top of the first inning in game one on a sacrifice fly from
Corben Green. Green sent a 2-2 offering
from Roadrunner starter Clint Sharp (0-1) to center field, deep enough to score
Les Aulds for the early 1-0 lead.
ULM upped its lead to three runs in the top
half of the third inning thanks to aggressive baserunning. Aulds singled with two outs in the inning, and
then stole second base to move into scoring position. Caleb Clowers drew a full-count base on balls,
and with Joey Rapp at the plate, Clowers and Aulds executed a double-steal, moving
to second and third base, respectively.
The strategy paid off, as Rapp slugged a two-run triple to center field
to plate both runners and give the visitors a 3-0 advantage.
The Warhawks made Texas-San Antonio pay once more
with two outs in the top of the fourth inning.
A Jeremy Sy triple to right field scored both Logan Fiasco and Taylor
Abdalla and gave ULM a commanding 5-0 lead.
The Roadrunners (1-1) finally struck for two
runs in the bottom half of the inning off ULM starter Alex Hermeling
(1-0). Colby Braddock drove Daniel
Rockett across on an RBI double to right center field, and RJ Perucki followed
with a sacrifice fly to plate Horacio Correa III and close the gap to 5-2. After walking John Welborn to continue the
inning, Hermeling forced Matthew James to fly out to Aulds in left field to
escape the frame.
ULM added an insurance run in the top of the
sixth inning, as Brandon Alexander drilled a 3-2 pitch from reliever Jordan
Pacheco over the left field fence for the first Warhawk home run of the season and
a four-run lead (6-2). The visitors
would also push in another run in the seventh inning, as Clowers drove in Sy on
an RBI single up the middle to make it 7-2.
Texas-San Antonio made a minor threat in the
bottom of the seventh, with Welborn coming home on a Casey Selsor base hit to
clip the deficit to 7-3. ULM reliever Kendall
Thamm buckled down and struck out Rockett on a 1-2 delivery to end the game.
Rapp powered the ULM offense with a 2-for-4
outing that included two RBIs, while Sy added two RBIs and a run scored. Aulds chipped in a pair of stolen bases and
two runs scored. Hermeling allowed two
earned runs in four innings of work, taking the win in his first collegiate
start.
Rockett paced the Texas-San Antonio offense
with two hits, with Braddock, Perucki and Selsor providing the RBIs. Sharp allowed five runs (three earned) in his
four innings on the hill to take the loss.
ULM (2-1) picked up right where it left off
at the start of game two, blitzing Texas-San Antonio for two runs in the top of
the first inning off starting pitcher Michael Kraft (0-1). After Clowers reached base on a fielder's
choice, Rapp belted an 0-1 pitch over the left field wall for his third and
fourth RBIs of the afternoon and a 2-0 Warhawk advantage. The visitors tallied an additional two runs
in the top of the second, as Fiasco took Kraft deep and out to left center
field to extend the lead to 4-0.
The Roadrunners (1-2) did not score against
Warhawk starter Cale Wine (1-0) until the bottom of the seventh inning. Welborn reached base on a catcher's
interference call with a man on and two men out, and Correa III drove Jake Wood
in on a single to left field one batter later.
Riley Good followed with an RBI single of his own off reliever Shelby
Aulds to plate Welborn and cut the score to 5-2 in favor of ULM. With the bases loaded, Aulds forced Rockett
to fly out to center field to end the threat and the inning.
The Warhawks tacked on a pair of runs in the
top of the ninth on a two-run single from Alexander that brought home Rapp and
Sy. After walking Welborn to open the
home half of the inning, Wil Browning retired the final three batters he faced
to earn the two-game sweep for ULM.
Les Aulds and Green led ULM with two hits in
the rubber match, with Green adding an RBI and drawing two walks. Rapp completed his weekend with two RBIs and
two runs scored, batting a cumulative .600 (6-for-10) with a home run, four
RBIs and four runs scored in the three-game series. Wine hurled a two-run gem (both unearned) in
his 6.2 innings, scattering five hits and striking out four to record his first
Division I win in his first career start.
Correa III, Dalton and Good each rapped two
hits apiece for Texas-San Antonio. Kraft
allowed five runs (four earned) in five full frames pitched to take the loss.
ULM hosts Tulane at a 12 p.m. start time on
Tuesday in the 2012 home-opener at Warhawk Field. For ticket information, contact the ULM
ticket office inside Malone Stadium at 318-342-ULM or warhawktickets@ulm.edu.
