BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The ULM baseball team
brought the winning run to the plate in the ninth inning but could not overcome
a five-run deficit, dropping a 7-4 decision to Western Kentucky Saturday night in
the final game of pool play in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament at Bowling
Green Ballpark.
The Warhawks (30-28) clinched first place in Pool
A with a 2-1 record, and are scheduled to face Pool B winner Arkansas State
(34-22, 2-1 SBC Tournament) Sunday at 1 p.m. for the Sun Belt Conference
Baseball Championship. The game will be
televised live by the Sun Belt Network (Ch.28 in Monroe) and on ESPN3.com.
Caleb Clowers roped a two-out triple to left
field off Taylor Haydel in the bottom of the ninth inning, and then scored on a
Joey Rapp single to cut the deficit to 7-3.
A Corben Green single and a Justin Stawychny RBI base knock up the
middle scored Rapp and brought ULM within three runs (7-4). Chris Dudley drew a full-count walk to load
the bases. Justin Hageman entered in relief and forced Jeff Fuller to fly out
to right field to end the game.
Clowers led all hitters with a 3-for-5
effort, driving in one run and scoring another.
Rapp, Stawychny and Fuller all added two hits and an RBI apiece.
Les Aulds worked a four-pitch walk off
starter Ian Tompkins to open the ULM bottom of the first inning, and then moved
into scoring position by stealing second and third base. A Clowers RBI groundout to second base scored
Aulds and gave the Warhawks a 1-0 lead.
Western Kentucky (25-33) struck for its first
run of the game in the top of the second inning, as Ryan Hutchison knocked a
solo home run over the wall in right center field off Ryan Bergeron to tie the
game at one. Bergeron retired Casey
Dykes on a groundout to shortstop and Ryan Huck on a fly out to left field for
the frame's first two outs. Matthew
Paculan grounded out to first base to end the inning.
Fuller came through with his first career RBI
in the bottom of the second, lacing a 3-2 Tompkins pitch for a double to the
gap in left center field to score Dudley and put ULM back in front 2-1.
Hutchison drew a 3-1 walk in the top of the
third inning to load the bases for Western Kentucky, but Bergeron induced Dykes
into the 4-6-3 double play to end the inning and keep the Hilltoppers off the
scoreboard.
Dykes laced a single through the right side
off Andrew Richardson (0-5) in the top of the fifth to score Ivan Hartle and
tie the game at 2-2. A Huck single up
the middle scored Dykes and Hutchison to give the Hilltoppers a 4-2
advantage. Adam Lavelle clubbed a
two-run home run over the right center field wall that upped the lead to
6-2. Walks to three straight batters
loaded the bases for Western Kentucky, but Devin Malone forced Scott Wilcox to
ground out to Corben Green at first base for the inning's third out.
Taylor Abdalla worked a pinch hit walk and
Les Aulds smacked a single up the middle to chase Tompkins from the contest in
the bottom of the fifth inning. A
fielder's choice off the bat of Clowers moved Abdalla to third base. Rapp worked a walk off reliever Brennan
Pearson (3-2) to load the bases with two outs.
Green was thrown out at first on a nice play by Dykes at third base to
keep ULM off the scoreboard.
Dykes connected on a solo home run on a 1-1
Malone offering in the top of the sixth to put the Hilltoppers in front
7-2.
Malone put together a scoreless frame in the
top of the seventh inning, forcing Wilcox to ground out to Clowers at second
base for the third and final out.
Stawychny rapped a single to left field in
the ULM half of the eighth inning to give the Warhawks offensive momentum. Dudley drew a full-count walk to move
Stawychny into scoring position at second base.
Pearson struck out Fuller and got Abdalla to ground into a fielder's
choice to end the inning.
Brent Gay worked a perfect top of the ninth
inning, forcing Ryan Messex to ground out to third base and Paculan and Jared
Andreaoli to fly out to Dudley in center field.
