BOCA RATON, Fla. -
ULM swept Saturday's action in the FAU Invitational. The Warhawks (10-13) opened the
day with a 6-1 win over Michigan State then scratched out an 8-6 victory over
Florida A&M in a 12-inning marathon.
Sophomore pitcher Haylie
Wilson earned the win in both contests and improved to 4-8 on the season while freshman Courtney Dutreix went a combined 3-for-7 with three RBIs on the
afternoon.
GAME ONE - ULM 6,
Michigan State 1
ULM defeated Michigan State 6-1 as the Warhawks ended their
four-game losing streak in Saturday's opener.
Despite getting out-hit 10-8, the Warhawk defense behind
Wilson kept the damage to a minimum.
ULM struck first in the bottom of the first and never looked
back. Dutreix led off with a walk then stole second. With two down, Janel Salanoa struck out swinging but
reached first on a wild pitch. Dutreix came around to score on an errant throw
to first. Salanoa then stole third and scored on a passed ball. After Haley McCall walked, Kayla Prater
homered to give the Warhawks a 4-0 lead.
Michigan State (14-11) got its only run in the top of the second
when E. Stoffer scored on a passed ball.
ULM escaped trouble in the top of the third. Michigan State
had runners on second and third with no out but smart defense on a fielder's
choice prevented the run from scoring.
Alexis Cacioppo
hit her second home run of the Florida trip to lead off the bottom of the third.
The knock extended the Warhawk lead to 5-1.
Michigan State had a chance to cut into the Warhawk lead in
the top of the fourth. After tossing a wild pitch, Wilson scrambled to cover
home plate and was on the receiving end of a great throw from Prater to catch J.
O'Bryant trying to score from third.
In the home half of the fourth, ULM added to its lead on
Dutreix's RBI single to score Mackenzie
Miller from third.
In the game, Salanoa stole two bases while Dutreix, McCall
and Miller each swiped one.
GAME TWO - ULM 8,
Florida A&M 6 (12 inn.)
ULM capitalized on a 12th inning Florida A&M (5-18) error to
scratch out an 8-6 victory in Saturday's nightcap. The run scored when Dutreix reached base
safely on a misfielded bunt. The error allowed DiMattia and Miller to score the
eventual game-winning runs.
ULM got on the board first in the top of the third when
Dutreix tripled in Elena DiMattia.
The Warhawks held the 1-0 lead until the bottom of the sixth
when FAMU took advantage of two Warhawk errors and scratched one run across.
ULM pitching and defense teamed up again to prevent further damage, however.
After ULM starter Stephanie
Routzon escaped trouble in the bottom of the seventh, the Warhawks jumped
to a 3-1 lead in the top of the eighth. Kayla
Boening entered as the international tie-break runner. She was bunted over
to third then scored when Miller reached base on an error. Miller added the
third run on Dutreix's RBI sacrifice fly.
Kieifi Myrick
tied the game on a two-run triple with one out in the bottom of the eighth. She
was out at the plate trying to score on an errant throw.
The Warhawks scored a pair of runs in the top of the ninth
to take a 5-3 advantage over the Rattlers. Salanoa drove in Cacioppo and
Salanoa later scored when Summer
Melancon slapped a two-out double.
FAMU answered in the bottom of the ninth when Genesis Lopez
reached on ULM's third error of the day. The Rattlers tied the game at five on
the fourth ULM error of the game.
The Warhawks capitalized on a throwing error by the FAMU
catcher in the top of the tenth. Dutreix stole second easily but the throw went
past the shortstop covering, allowing DiMattia to score. ULM had a 6-5 lead
going to the bottom of the frame.
Florida A&M tied the game again, this time at six all,
when Tikeya Strong floated a two-out
RBI single on a 1-2 offering from Wilson, who came on in relief.
Both teams went scoreless in the 11th to force a 12th
inning. It was the longest game by innings since 2005 (an 11-inning tilt at
Stephen F. Austin) and ULM's first 12-inning affair since 1997.
ULM returns to action in the FAU Invitational tomorrow
against Kansas and Stony Brook. First pitch against the Jayhawks is at 8:00
a.m. Central.
