MONROE, La. - The ULM baseball team logged
season-highs in both hits and runs but was unable to overcome a five-run South
Alabama first inning, falling to the Jaguars 20-13 Friday night in Sun Belt
Conference play at Warhawk Field.
The 33 combined runs and 40 combined hits
between the two squads were the most in any game involving Sun Belt teams so far
in 2012.
South Alabama (7-14, 3-1 SBC) struck quickly in
the top half of the first inning, the final two men scoring on a Hunt Griffith
double to left center field that gave the Jaguars the 5-0 lead. ULM starter Randy Zeigler (2-4) escaped the
inning by striking out Graham Odom swinging on a 1-2 offering.
The Warhawks (13-9, 1-3 SBC) responded with a
pair of runs in the bottom half of the first.
Jeremy Sy led off the inning with a home run to left center to draw ULM
within four (5-1). Singles from Caleb
Clowers, Joey Rapp and Judd Edwards loaded the bases for Taylor Abdalla. Abdalla drew a five-pitch walk to chase South
Alabama starting pitcher Phillip Byrd and bring the Warhawks within three at
5-2.
Clowers blasted a double to the gap in right
center field off reliever James Traylor in the bottom of the second inning to
score Sy all the way from first base and cut the ULM deficit to 5-3. A deep fly ball out off the bat of Rapp moved
Clowers further into scoring position at third with two outs. An Edwards fly out to right field halted the
Warhawk surge.
The Jaguars responded with two runs in the
top of the third inning off Zeigler to retake a four-run lead (7-3). Odom drove a single right back through the
middle to plate Brad Hook and Griffith to chase Zeigler after 2.2 innings
pitched.
ULM stormed right back, tacking on two runs
in the bottom of the third inning. Chris
Dudley roped his first career triple into right center field, driving in
Abdalla for his first RBI as a Warhawk to close the gap to 7-4. A Logan Fiasco single scored Dudley to make
the score 7-5 in favor of South Alabama.
The Jaguars scored six runs in the top of the
fourth inning to open an eight-run lead (13-5), but the momentum was short
lived, as ULM countered with seven runs of its own in the bottom half of the
fourth. A two-run single off the bat of
Sy and a two-run double from Clowers started the rally for the Warhawks before
Corben Green added an RBI single. Abdalla
later roped a double to left field that scored Green and Rapp and made it a
one-run game (13-12) through four frames.
Sy, Clowers and Abdalla each led the ULM
offensive cause with identical 3-for-5 performances, nine combined RBIs and six
combined runs scored. Fiasco added his
second home run of the season and two RBIs, while Les Aulds chipped in a pair
of base hits.
South Alabama scored seven of the final game's
final eight runs, tacking on an unanswered five runs on six hits in the top of
the ninth inning.
Odom was an impressive 5-for-6 at the plate
to pace South Alabama, while Nick Zaharion and Dustin Dalken each contributed four
hits apiece. Jamie Dennis (1-2) threw
5.1 innings of one-run baseball to earn the victory.
Game two of the three-game set is scheduled
for a 6 p.m. first pitch Saturday night at Warhawk Field.
