MONROE, La. - A four-run rally to tie the
game in the bottom of the seventh inning was not enough to overcome an early
deficit, as Nicholls State utilized a two-run double from Blake Bergeron in the
top of the eighth to escape with a 6-4 win over the ULM baseball team Sunday
afternoon at Warhawk Field.
ULM (7-5) broke through in the seventh
inning, when Nicholls State right fielder Michael LeGrange overran a base hit
from Jeremy Sy. The error in the field
allowed Justin Stawychny and Les Aulds to score and cut the deficit to
4-2. A hard hit double up the middle
from Caleb Clowers plated Sy and brought the game within one run (4-3). After Joey Rapp moved Clowers to third on a
sacrifice fly, Corben Green smashed an RBI double off the right field fence to
tie the game at 4-all.
The Colonels (6-6) wrestled the lead back on
the two-run double to right center off the bat of Bergeron to jump in front
6-4. Wil Browning came out of the
bullpen in relief of Kendall Thamm (1-1) and forced consecutive Colonel outs to
minimize the damage.
Browning sent Nicholls State back to the
dugout in order in the top of the ninth, punching out Mike Barba to give the
Warhawks a final opportunity in the home half of the inning.
Thamm took his first loss of the season, allowing
three runs on five hits in 2.2 innings after entering the game in the fifth in
relief of starter Andrew Richardson.
Thamm had yielded just one earned run in his first four outings to open
the 2012 season.
The Colonels struck for three runs in the top
half of the first inning after a pair of ULM miscues in the field. Philip Lyons advanced to third base on a
passed ball by Warhawk catcher Logan Fiasco and was driven in two batters later
on a single from LeGrange. First baseman
Rapp attempted to catch Bergeron stealing third base but his throw was wide of
the glove of Judd Edwards, allowing the second Nicholls State run to come across. LeGrange scored on an infield single to
second by Leo Vargas to push the lead to 3-0.
Stawychny drew a five-pitch walk to get ULM
started in the bottom of the third.
After a balk by Colonel starter Mike Wisecarver moved Stawychny into
scoring position, Aulds was hit by a pitch to give the Warhawks two men on with
just one man out. A questionable third
strike call to Sy and a Clowers flyout stranded both runners.
Taylor Abdalla, Green and Clowers each paced
ULM with two hits apiece. Aulds added a
base knock and was hit by two pitches.
The Warhawks threatened again in the fourth,
as a Clowers double to the gap in right center field appeared to score Edwards
from first base. A perfect relay throw
from Lyons at second punched Edwards out at the plate to get Wisecarver out of
the inning.
Nicholls State added an insurance run on a
sharp liner to left field off the bat of LeGrange to plate Bergeron and push
the advantage to 4-0 in the sixth inning. Thamm caught LeGrange in a rundown between
first and second base for the crucial second out of the inning before forcing
Ben Faulk to fly out to right field to end the frame.
Jeremy Hill and LeGrange led Nicholls State
with a pair of hits, and LeGrange added two RBIs. Michael Suk (2-0) pitched a scoreless 1.1
innings of relief to pick up the win.
ULM hosts Memphis during a two-game midweek
series at Warhawk Field, with the first pitch on Tuesday scheduled for 6 p.m.
