TROY, Ala. - The ULM baseball team battled
Troy to a doubleheader split Saturday night at Riddle-Pace Field. The Warhawks fell in game one 5-1 before
taking the nightcap 4-3 in 10 innings.
The day's second game was delayed a total of 44 minutes due to two separate
weather stoppages. The series was
originally scheduled to conclude Sunday afternoon, but the threat of additional
inclement weather forced game two to be moved up to Saturday.
Jeremy Sy sliced a two-out double down the
left field line in the top of the first inning of the second game. Troy starter Ryan Brady forced Joey Rapp to
fly out to center field to end the inning.
ULM's (25-26, 12-15 SBC) Cale Wine retired
the first six batters he faced to open the contest, striking out Chase Mathis
swinging to end the bottom of the second inning.
Jake Harrell was hit by a pitch to lead off
the bottom of the third inning, the first base runner allowed by Wine. A ULM fielding error and a bunt single by
Clay Holcomb loaded the bases with nobody out for Troy (24-27, 12-15 SBC). A Tyler Hannah sacrifice fly gave the Trojans
a 1-0 lead.
Wine sat Troy down in order in the bottom of
the sixth inning for his third consecutive scoreless frame. Logan Pierce, Boone Shear and Danny Collins
all grounded out to Warhawk fielders to keep ULM within one run (1-0).
Sy worked a full-count walk and then stole
second base to open the top of the seventh.
A Justin Stawychny pinch hit sacrifice fly tied the game at 1-1.
Logan Fiasco roped a two-out single off Nate Hill
in the top of the eighth, and Les Aulds worked a 3-1 walk to move Fiasco into
scoring position. Thomas Austin (3-4)
forced a Caleb Clowers groundout to end the threat.
ULM sent the game to extra innings after Wil
Browning (5-3) retired the Trojan side in the bottom of the ninth. Ali Knowles struck out swinging on a 3-2 offering
before Harrell popped out to second base.
Browning got Jakob Nixon to strike out swinging for the inning's final
out.
Judd Edwards rocked a leadoff double to the
gap in left center field in the top of the 10th inning. A throwing error by Austin on a sacrifice
bunt attempt by Taylor Abdalla gave the Warhawks runners on the corners with
nobody out. Chris Dudley made the
Trojans pay, ripping a two-run double down the left field line to give ULM a
3-1 lead. An RBI single by Clowers to
right center gave the Warhawks a 4-1 advantage.
Tyler Vaughn ripped a one-out double down the
right field line off Browning in the bottom of the 10th, moving Hannah to third
base and allowing the tying run to come to the plate. Pierce sent a single straight through the box
to score both runners and bring Troy within one at 4-3. Browning responded by striking out Shear for
a huge second out. Collins grounded back
to the mound to seal the Warhawk win.
Clowers, Sy and Edwards each finished with
two hits for ULM in the nightcap, with Dudley chipping in two RBIs.
Wine allowed one unearned run in 7.2 innings,
walking two and striking out three Trojan batters. Browning tossed the final 2.1 frames to earn
the win.
In game one, Clowers laced a 3-2 pitch from
Troy's Joe Hernandez off the high wall in right field for a two-out double in
the top of the third inning. Hernandez
forced Sy to fly out to center field to hold Clowers at second base and end the
ULM (24-26, 11-15 SBC) half of the inning.
ULM starter Randy Zeigler (4-6) sat the
Trojans down in order in the bottom of the third inning, inducing groundouts to
shortstop from Holcomb and Vaughn and striking out Hannah looking.
Harrell laced a two-out single through the
left side off Zeigler in the bottom of the fourth, scoring Shear from second
base and giving Troy (24-26, 12-14 SBC) a 1-0 lead.
Zeigler motored through the Troy lineup in
the bottom of the fifth inning, striking out Jo-El Bennett and Hannah and
forcing a Holcomb flyout to right field to end the frame.
Sy singled up the middle to lead off the top
of the sixth inning. A Hernandez wild
pitch and a deep fly ball to center field by Rapp moved Sy to third base. Edwards blasted a laser double down the left
field line with two outs to score Sy and tie the game at 1-1.
Nixon laced an RBI single through the right
side to score pinch runner Brandon Brown in the bottom of the seventh inning,
pushing the Trojans back in front 2-1.
Shear smashed a three-run home run in the
bottom of the eighth inning over the left field wall, extending the Troy lead
to 5-1.
Sy led ULM with a 2-for-4 output in game one,
scoring ULM's only run. Clowers, Brandon
Alexander and Dudley each finished with a base hit apiece. Zeigler allowed seven runs in a complete game
effort, striking out eight Trojan hitters in the loss.
Harrell and Nixon each led Troy with two
hits, while Shear added three RBIs and two runs scored. Hill (5-2) allowed one hit in 1.2 innings of
relief to pick up the win.
ULM returns to action Tuesday afternoon
against McNeese State in the final home game of 2012 at Warhawk Field. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
