MONROE, La. – Five total home runs were hit as the ULM softball team dropped two games to Troy Saturday inside ULM Softball Complex.
Troy 5, ULM 4 (9 innings)
The first inning started out rough for junior Melanie Coyne (13-15) as she allowed a leadoff double to Kate Benton and then dropped a potential double-play ball on a popped up bunt. Coyne retired the next two batters before walking Ashley Rainey to load the bases.
Senior shortstop Faith Bohack accounted for the second error of the inning when she misfired a throw for the final out of the inning, allowing two Trojan (24-13, 5-5 SBC) runs to score.
Benton struck again in the fourth on a two-out single to center field which plated Becca Hartley and put Troy ahead 3-0.
The Warhawks (19-22, 4-9 SBC) responded in the bottom of the fourth by scoring four runs on five hits and a Trojans error. Senior Amye Barre lifted a home run to left field on the very first pitch of the inning. Bohack then singled, advanced to second on an ill-advised throw from Hartley and scored on a single to center from sophomore second baseman Cheyanne Lyon.
Junior McKinley Marks joined the home run party later in the inning as she tagged a two-run home run to right center that scored Lyon and gave ULM a 4-3 advantage.
Benton got the best of Coyne again in the seventh as she hit a leadoff triple and later scored on a Hannah Day sacrifice fly to tie the game at four.
The Warhawks had a runner in scoring position in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings but were unable to capitalize. Junior left fielder Rochelle Roberts nearly scored from second in the eighth on a single from freshman Sydney McKay before Benton snagged the grounder on the back of the infield and threw out Roberts on a close play at the dish.
The game-winning run for Troy came in the ninth on a sacrifice fly from Erica Davis that scored Carli Kayler after she doubled down the left-field line and advanced to third on a Benton groundout.
Coyne was tagged with the loss despite scattering six hits and allowing three earned runs through a career-high nine innings pitched. McKay extended her hitting streak to eight games with the aforementioned single in the eighth. Barre, Bohack, Lyon and Roberts each recorded multiple hits.
Troy 6, ULM 3
While the Warhawks (19-23, 4-10 SBC) hit two home runs in game one, the Trojans (25-13, 6-5 SBC) countered with three home runs for a 6-3 win in game two.
Sophomore Paige Porter (3-5) had Meg Willis down in the count 1-2 before Willis powered a solo homer to center field in the second.
In the bottom half, ULM was able to string together four two-out singles that resulted in two runs. Senior Amye Barre and junior Rochelle Roberts recorded the RBI singles while junior Sidney Coy and Megan Shaw also contributed with one-baggers to put the Warhawks up 2-1.
While ULM had a four-run fourth in game one, Troy's four-run fourth in game two felt like déjà vu as Willis and Hannah Day each hit homers and Carli Kayler notched an RBI single to give the Trojans a 5-2 advantage.
The Warhawks scratched a run in the fifth on a double that tailed off the bat of McKinley Marks to left, scoring Faith Bohack who reached on a bunt single.
The Trojans nixed that run by scoring one of their own in the sixth on a throwing error from Barre and Ashley Rainey (13-10) reentered in the circle to retire six of the final seven ULM batters to seal the game.
Porter took the loss after allowing five runs (all earned) through four innings with two strikeouts. Freshman Casey Waterman had a great relief outing, allowing just two hits and an unearned run through three innings. Roberts recorded her eighth three-hit game of the season and freshman Sydney McKay's hitting streak ended at eight games as she went hitless in four at bats.
The Warhawks look to salvage the series in the noon finale tomorrow inside ULM Softball Complex.
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