MONROE, La. - The ULM baseball team utilized a
four-run sixth inning to claim an 8-6 decision over Sam Houston State in the
rubber match of a three-game set Sunday afternoon at Warhawk Field.
The 10 ULM hits were one off tying the
season-high set in the opening game of 2012 at Texas-San Antonio (Feb. 18). The Warhawks struck out a season-low one
time.
ULM's (6-2) Judd Edwards singled off Caleb Smith
(0-2) to open the bottom of the sixth inning.
The Bearkat starter then served up a 2-0 pitch over the heart of the
plate to Taylor Abdalla that the Warhawk center fielder deposited over the
fence, giving ULM its first lead of the game 4-3. Caleb Clowers roped a single off the glove of
Kevin Miller at third base to score Justin Stawychny and extend the advantage
to 5-3. Right fielder Jake Arrington
then dropped a sharply hit ball by Joey Rapp to score Jeremy Sy and push the Warhawk
cushion to 6-3.
Sam Houston State (4-3) countered in the
seventh with a two-run, two-out double by Arrington to trim the ULM lead to
only one (6-5). A fly ball to Abdalla in
center got reliever Wil Browning (1-0) off the hook without any further damage.
Logan Fiasco drew a four-pitch walk with the
bases loaded from Bearkat pitcher Andrew Godail to add a Warhawk insurance run
on the bottom of the seventh. Edwards
later crossed on a sac fly from Les Aulds to retake a three-run lead
(8-5).
The Bearkats chased Browning in the top of
the ninth, as John Hale and Ryan O'Hearn notched back-to-back hits with nobody
out to get men into scoring position at second and third base. An RBI groundout from Miller scored Hale to
bring Sam Houston State within two at 8-6.
Reliever Kendall Thamm forced Arrington to ground out to Clowers at
second base to end the ballgame and earn the save.
Clowers paced ULM with a 3-for-5 afternoon
and one RBI. Edwards added a pair of
hits, an RBI and two runs scored, while Abdalla chipped in two RBIs on his
blast over the left field wall.
Browning allowed three runs on five hits in
his three innings of work to pick up his first win since March 22, 2011 against
Southern Mississippi.
ULM starter Cale Wine escaped the top of the
first after allowing men to first and third base with nobody out. Hale lined a sharp ball on the screws to Rapp
at first for an unassisted double play that held Colt Atwood at third. O'Hearn grounded out to the shortstop Sy to
get Wine out of the inning.
The Bearkats struck for three runs in the
bottom half of the second inning, the first on a Jessie Plumlee base knock to
right field. Atwood reached on a fielder's
choice by Sy, scoring Arrington to give Sam Houston State a 2-0 lead. Luke Plucheck completed the inning's scoring
with a single through the left side to push across Plumlee and stretch the lead
to 3-0.
Rapp led off the ULM second with a double to
left field. A Corben Green sac fly and an
Edwards RBI groundout scored Rapp to trim the Warhawk deficit to 3-1. Abdalla flew out to shallow right field off Sam
Houston State's Smith to end the frame.
Sam Houston State loaded the bases against Wine
in the top of the fourth, with Hale and O'Hearn drawing walks. Wine threw a beautiful breaking ball in the
dirt on a 0-2 count to strike out Miller and keep the Bearkats at bay.
ULM looked on the verge of breaking through
against Smith in the bottom of the fourth inning. Clowers roped a one-out single to left field
to start the rally before Rapp reached on a fielder's choice by the shortstop
Corey Toups. Green was hit by the second
pitch he saw to load the bases with only one man away. Sam Houston State escaped the inning after consecutive
outs in the air by Edwards and Abdalla to strand all three runners.
Stawychny reached base on a muffed throw by the
first baseman O'Hearn with one out in the Warhawk fifth. After Stawychny stole second base cleanly, Aulds
rapped a sharp single to second base. A
wide throw to first by Plumlee brought Stawychny in from third and close the
hole to one (3-2). Clowers flipped a
single through the left side to load the bases, still with only one out. A Rapp strikeout and a deep flyout to the gap
in right center by Green stranded Warhawks at each base.
Arrington, Miller and Plucheck paced Sam
Houston State with two hits apiece.
Smith allowed four runs (three earned) in his five full innings of work
to take the loss.
ULM travels to Stephen F. Austin for a short
one-game series Feb. 28 at 2 p.m.
