LAFAYETTE, La. -- ULM
(8-10, 0-1) scored the first and last run of the contest, but UL-Lafayette (14-3,
1-0) scored nine runs in between to claim a 9-2 victory in the Sun Belt
Conference opener for both teams Friday night at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field.
ULM tallied the first run of the contest in the top of
the third inning. With one out in the
frame, Brandon Alexander singled up the middle and Judd Edwards followed with a
RBI double down the left field line.
Alexander raced around the bases and was able to score easily after cutoff
man, third baseman, Sam Carriere let the ball bounce by to give the visitors a
1-0 lead.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, Seth Harrison
doubled down the left field line and Tyler Girouard followed with a two-run
homer over the wall in right field as UL-Lafayette took a 2-1 lead.
The Ragin' Cajuns pushed their lead to 6-1 with four runs
in the bottom of the fourth. Chase
Compton and Sam Carriere recorded back-to-back solo homers with no outs to
start the big inning. Jace Conrad scored
on a Dex Kjerstad sac fly and Blake Trahan raced home on Ryan Leonards' suicide
squeeze bunt to conclude the scoring in the fourth inning.
Taylor Abdalla led off the Warhawk sixth with a single to
third base. Corben Green followed with a
single down the left field line and Abdalla was tagged out at third as Green
moved to second on the throw. Green was
left stranded at second as ULM's final two outs came via a strikeout and a
groundout.
In the home half of the sixth, the Ragin' Cajuns were
successful on a double steal as Blake Trahan swiped home to give UL-Lafayette a
six-run advantage (7-1).
UL-Lafayette increased its lead to eight runs (9-1) with
a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh.
The Ragin' Cajuns started the inning by loading the bases with a single,
a hit by pitch and a walk. Tyler
Girouard scored on Sam Carriere's sac fly to center field, while Jace Conrad
drove in Michael Strentz with a sac fly to left.
In the ninth, Justin Stawychny doubled to left center
with one out in the ninth. Stawychny
moved to third on a groundout by Jeff
Fuller and scored the final run of the game on a wild pitch to set the
final tally at 9-2.
Judd Edwards led the Warhawks with two hits (one double)
and one RBI. ULM starter Carey Taylor
was tagged with his second loss of the season and the junior falls to 1-2 on
the season after allowing seven runs on nine hits with one walk and three
punchouts in six innings of work.
Tyler Girouard paced the Ragin' Cajuns with two hits, two
RBI and two runs Friday night.
UL-Lafayette starter Ryan Wilson (2-1) went the distance as he
surrendered just two runs on nine hits with nine strikeouts and zero walks in a
complete game effort.
Game two of the weekend conference series will take
place tomorrow afternoon with first pitch slated for 2 p.m.
Cale Wine (Sr., RH, 2-2, 2.33 ERA) will get
the call on the hill for ULM, while UL-Lafayette will counter with Austin
Robichaux (Jr., RH, 2-0, 2.25 ERA).
