BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Wil Browning worked a
scoreless bottom of the ninth inning to give the ULM baseball team a 4-2 win
over Arkansas State in the Sun Belt Conference Championship game Sunday
afternoon at Bowling Green Ballpark.
The Warhawks earned their first Sun Belt
Tournament Championship, and will continue play in the NCAA Regional
round. ULM last clinched a bid to the
NCAA Tournament in 2000.
Caleb Clowers and Judd Edwards were each
named to the all-tournament team, while Browning was selected as the Most
Outstanding Player.
Dustin Jones singled through the left side
off Randy Zeigler in the bottom of the seventh inning and then moved to second
base on a sacrifice bunt from Zach Maggio.
A wild pitch from reliever Kendall Thamm (6-3) moved Jones to third base
with only one out. A Zach George
sacrifice fly scored Jones and put Arkansas State (34-23) in front 2-1.
The Warhawks (31-28) did not take long to
answer, as Joey Rapp stung a leadoff double to the gap in right center off
Brandon Farley (2-4) in the top of the eighth inning. A Brandon Alexander RBI double to right field
scored Rapp from second and tied the game at 2-2. Edwards reached base on a fielder's choice,
and Taylor Abdalla successfully sacrificed both runners into scoring
position. Farley intentionally walked
Corben Green to load the bases with only one out. Justin Stawychny delivered against reliever
Bradley Wallace, lacing a single up the middle to score Alexander and give ULM
a 3-2 lead. Wallace then hit Les Aulds
to up the Warhawk lead to 4-2. Daniel
Short forced Clowers to ground out to shortstop to end the ULM surge.
Ryan Emery sliced a pinch hit single to left
field off Browning in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the runners moved
over on a groundout by Ryan Roberts. Jones
popped up to Clowers at second base and Maggio grounded out to Rapp at first
base to get Browning out of the bind.
Michael Faulkner worked a full-count walk in
the bottom of the ninth inning before stealing second base to move into scoring
position. Browing forced George to fly
out to center field and Claude Johnson to ground out to second base for frame's
first two outs. Logan Uxa popped out to
Jeremy Sy at shortstop to end the game.
Corben Green reached base three times to pace
the ULM offense, drawing a pair of walks.
Aulds added a team-high two RBIs.
Aulds got ULM off to a flying start,
depositing a 1-2 pitch from Arkansas State starter Jacob Lee over the right
field wall for a leadoff home run that gave the Warhawks a 1-0 lead. Sy worked a four pitch walk, and then
advanced to second base on a Lee wild pitch and third on a deep fly out off the
bat of Rapp. Lee struck out Alexander
swinging to end the inning and strand Sy at third base.
George reached on a ULM fielding error to
keep the bottom of the first inning going, and a Johnson single off Zeigler
moved George to third base. Zeigler
struck out Uxa swinging to escape the jam.
Alex Potts turned on a 2-2 Zeigler offering
in the bottom of the second inning, crushing his first home run of the season
over the left field fence to tie the game at 1-1. Faulkner hit a hard ground ball up the
middle, but Clowers made a nice diving stop to put out Maggio at second base to
end the inning.
Zeigler worked a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom
of the third, as George flied out to right field, Johnson grounded out to a
diving Clowers at second base and Uxa struck out swinging.
The Warhawk left-hander was equally
impressive in the fourth inning, striking out Potts and Stuart Levy looking to
shut the Red Wolves out for the second consecutive frame.
Green singled off Lee to open the fifth
inning, and Logan Fiasco laid down a perfect bunt single with two strikes to
give the Warhawks two men on with no outs.
A perfect sacrifice bunt by Aulds moved both runners into scoring
position. Lee punched out Sy looking for
the inning's second out, but hit Clowers to load the bases. Lee got Rapp out on strikes to dodge a major
threat.
Edwards grooved a one-out double to the gap
in right center off Lee in the top of the sixth inning, but Abdalla was retired
on strikes for the second out of the frame.
Lee intentionally walked Green to bring up the pinch hitter Stawychny. Lee induced a 4-3 groundout to hold ULM at
bay.
Johnson singled to open the bottom of the
sixth, and moved into scoring position on an Uxa sacrifice bunt. Potts deposited a single into left field that
moved Johnson to third base. Zeigler
struck Levy out on a 3-2 offering that stranded both men on base.
Zeigler allowed two runs on seven hits over 6.1
innings, walking one and striking out nine.
Thamm threw 0.2 of an inning of relief to earn the win. Browning worked the final two frames for his
sixth save of the season.
