MOBILE, Ala. - The ULM softball team was handed its first extra-inning loss of the season Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader against Sun Belt Conference foe South Alabama. The Warhawks fell 2-1 in nine innings at Jaguar Field to move to 12-8 overall and 0-1 in Sun Belt play.
Kayla Boening and Elena DiMattia were two of three players for the game with multiple hits, Boening going 2-for-4 while DiMattia went 2-for-5. Janel Salanoa's lone hit of the contest was the game's only home run and brought in ULM's only RBI and run.
Stephanie Routzon (3-5) went the distance in the circle, throwing all 8.0 innings and allowed just one earned run on seven hits with four strikeouts.
Two extra innings were necessary to decide a winner, South Alabama's (12-6, 1-0 Sun Belt) Haley Richards singling through the left side to put the winning run on base. Julie Moss entered the game to pinch run, and a throwing error by the Warhawks off a bunt allowed Moss to go home.
After ULM trailed 1-0 for two innings Salanoa knotted the score in the sixth inning with a solo bomb to left field. Her second home run of the season came on no outs and spurred two more Warhawks to reach, but were unable to capitalize to end the half inning tied.
South Alabama's Alyssa Linn got on base with a walk in the third inning and moved over to second on a fielder's choice. A double by Brittany Fowler dropped just fair inside the right field line to score Linn from second for the first run of the game.
Richards came up big for the Jaguars at the plate with a 3-for-3 performance. Fowler brought in South Alabama's only RBI. Hannah Campbell went all nine innings for a career-best 14 strikeout performance and gave up one earned run on eight hits.
The Warhawks face the Jaguars in the second game of the doubleheader at approximately 4:15 p.m.
