MONROE, La. – The ULM softball team split a pair of games Saturday in the second day of the Mardi Gras Classic at ULM Softball Complex, defeating Grambling State 5-0 before falling to Stephen F. Austin 7-4.
ULM 5, Grambling State 0
Freshman Katlynn Kaminski notched a complete game shutout in her first career start, blanking the Grambling State Lady Tigers in a 5-0 Warhawk win. Kaminski only allowed two hits and struck out six.
Junior Rochelle Roberts commenced the scoring in the first, scoring on a balk after being walked to start the inning. Later in the inning, senior Faith Bohack and junior Vanessa Garcia hit back-to-back home runs to left field which lifted ULM to an early 3-0 advantage.
No more runs were scored until the bottom of the fifth when Garcia scored freshman Sydney McKay on an RBI groundout and sophomore McKinley Marks plated Bohack on a RBI double to right field. Kaminski then cruised ULM to victory.
Roberts and McKay were active on the base paths, stealing three and two bases respectively.
SFA 7, ULM 4
Garcia drove in two runs on a double, sparking a three-run fifth that reduced the Ladyjack lead to 5-4 before Stephen F. Austin pulled away in a 7-4 defeat.
The Ladyjacks chased sophomore Paige Porter out of the game in the third when designated player Brittany Lewis smacked a two-RBI triple to right field. First baseman Faith Talley singled through the left side to bring in another run after Kaminski came in to relieve Porter as SFA jumped out to a 3-0 lead.
The Warhawks answered in the bottom half on a Faith Bohack RBI single to right field, scoring McKay who stole second after reaching on a fielder's choice.
After SFA scored two in the top of the fourth, ULM responded with three runs in the bottom of the fifth when Garcia brought home Bohack and Roberts on the aforementioned double. Senior Amye Barre then scored Garcia on a single to left field which cut into the Ladyjack lead at 5-4.
SFA continued to apply pressure by scoring two insurance runs in the top of the sixth, one on a fielder's choice and the other on a Taylor Fraccastoro walk with the bases loaded.
Sophomore Cheyanne Lyon opened up the bottom of the sixth with a double to left center, but the Warhawks were unable to bring her home. Barre singled down the left-field line with two outs in the seventh before Marks struck out looking on a full count to end the game.
Marks finished the day 4-6 with a double and a RBI while Garcia tallied a team-high four RBIs.
ULM concludes its weekend tomorrow morning at 9 when it faces Seton Hall in the finale of the Mardi Gras Classic. The 11 a.m. game between Prairie View A&M and SFA has been cancelled.
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