BATON ROUGE, La. – Coming off of a 3-1 weekend at the UCA Invitational, the ULM softball squad will face No. 5 LSU, its first top-25 opponent this season, tomorrow at 6 p.m. inside Tiger Park.
The contest will be streamed live online via SEC Network Plus through WatchESPN for smartphones, tablets, streaming devices and desktops with Lyn Rollins and Yvette Girouard on the call.
ULM (11-4) is coming off of a 3-1 weekend at the UCA Invitational, posting eight-run rule wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Middle Tennessee State and South Dakota State while falling to Belmont, 5-4, on a walk-off home run in the seventh inning.
Junior Rochelle Roberts highlighted the Warhawks' offense, batting .769 (10-13) with two triples and a double. She also scored a team-high nine runs and stole three bases. Roberts currently ranks atop the Sun Belt Conference in batting average (.617), OBP (.673), runs scored (26), stolen bases (18) and triples (4). In fact, the Vacaville, Calif., native is one of just two players in Division I with four triples and ranks second in the nation with 1.2 steals per game.
Senior shortstop Faith Bohack hit .615 with seven RBIs and a homer while junior designated player McKinley Marks hit .417 and drove in a team-high nine runs during the four-game stretch. Freshman Sydney McKay also had a productive weekend, hitting .400 and stealing a team-best six bases (6-6).
The Warhawks lead the SBC in triples (10) and stolen bases (54) with the help of Roberts (four triples, 18 SB) and McKay (two triples, 12 SB). Both have yet to be thrown out attempting a stolen base this season (30-30).
ULM ranks first in the country in stolen bases per game (3.6), second in triples per game (0.7) and 26th in fielding percentage (.974), with all three marks leading the SBC. The Warhawks also rank 10th in the nation in scoring at 8.1 runs per game, only behind UL-Lafayette (8.9) in the SBC.
On the mound, junior Melanie Coyne picked up two wins in two shortened complete-game outings, including a six-inning shutout against Middle Tennessee State. The Huntington Beach, Calif., native allowed just one hit and fanned five hitters in ULM's 9-1 win over SDSU.
The freshmen duo of Katlynn Kaminski and Casey Waterman also had quality outings at the UCA Invite. Kaminski was in line for the win versus Belmont before the Bruins walked off with the win, scattering four hits and allowing just one earned run through 5.1 innings. Waterman picked up her second win of the season, tossing a complete-game with no earned runs in the Warhawks' 14-2 triumph over UAPB.
No. 5 LSU (13-2) hosts ULM after a 4-0 weekend at its own Purple and Gold Challenge, notching two wins over Illinois State and Texas Tech. The Tigers have won nine in a row including a 5-0 victory over SBC foe South Alabama.
ULM is winless in nine games versus LSU. The two schools faced one another last year as the Tigers prevailed 7-3 in Baton Rouge. Coyne started that game and allowed three runs in three innings while sophomore Paige Porter tossed a scoreless frame.
Bohack and Roberts also went a combined 5-8 at the plate while senior Amye Barre and juniors McKinley Marks and Vanessa Garcia also produced one hit each.
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