LAFAYETTE, La. - A wild pitch in the top of
the 11th inning sparked the ULM baseball team to a 2-1 win over UL-Lafayette
Friday night at "Tigue" Moore Field.
With the win, the Warhawks (27-27, 14-15 SBC)
assured themselves a bid to the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, taking the
series against the Ragin' Cajuns in the process.
Caleb Clowers and Joey Rapp each reached with
singles in the top of the 11th inning, and both moved into scoring position on
a sacrifice bunt by Judd Edwards. Taylor
Abdalla reached on a fielder's choice to load the bases with one man out. Corben Green struck out swinging for the
frame's second out. Caleb Kellogg (3-4) threw
the ball to the backstop with Brandon Alexander at the plate, scoring Clowers
to vault ULM in front 2-1.
Chase Compton laced a leadoff single into
left field to open the bottom of the 11th.
Wil Browning (6-3) picked up the first out of the inning by striking out
Dylan Butler. Tyler Girouard grounded
into the 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
Jeremy Sy ripped a one-out double down the
left field line off starter Chris Griffitt in the top of the first inning and
then moved to third base on a ground out by Clowers. Griffitt forced Rapp to fly out to right
field, holding Sy at third.
Cale Wine retired all three UL-Lafayette (23-29,
11-18 SBC) hitters in order in the bottom of the second inning, striking out
Jordan Bourque looking for the frame's third and final out.
The Ragin' Cajuns loaded the bases in the
bottom of the third inning after Ryan Leonards sent a hard-hit single into
center field with one out. After a
12-pitch at-bat, Wine induced Jace Conrad into the 6-4-3 double play to stop
the threat and keep UL-Lafayette off the scoreboard.
After a one-out single by Butler in the
bottom of the fourth, the Warhawks turned their third inning-ending double play
of the game 6-4-3 to keep the contest scoreless.
Wine sat the Ragin' Cajuns down in order in
the bottom of the fifth inning, striking out Chris Sinclair looking to cap his
third 1-2-3 frame of the game.
Sinclair failed to field a popped up bunt off
the bat of Edwards to lead off the top of the seventh inning. Abdalla made Griffitt pay by blasting a
triple to the gap in left center to score Edwards and give the Warhawks a 1-0
lead. Reliever Matt Hicks intentionally
walked pinch hitter Alexander to give ULM runners at the corners with one
away. Logan Fiasco laid down a perfect
squeeze bunt, but Hicks threw Abdalla out at the plate trying to score from
third base. Compton made a nice stab at
first base to rob Les Aulds of a base hit and limit the damage in the inning.
Bourque laced a one-out single into left
center field, scoring Butler from second base to tie the game at 1-1 in the
bottom of the seventh inning. Wine forced
Daniel Nichols to pop up a bunt to the mound, throwing out Girouard to complete
the double play and end the inning.
Browning entered for Wine in the bottom of
the eighth inning, and despite allowing a single to Conrad proceeded to strike
out three batters, freezing Compton looking to end the inning.
Five ULM batters led the way with one base
hit apiece. Wine allowed one run in
seven innings, walking one and striking out two. Browning threw four shutout innings, striking
out five to earn the win.
Sinclair paced UL-Lafayette with three hits, while
Butler and Bourque added two hits each. Kellogg
allowed one run in his four innings to take the loss.
Game three of the series is slated for
Saturday at 6 p.m.
