MONROE, La. – The ULM baseball team used a four-run third inning as the key frame on Saturday afternoon as the Warhawks defeated visiting Little Rock 6-4 to even up the teams' Sun Belt Conference weekend series.
THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: ULM 6, Little Rock 4
LOCATION: Warhawk Field / Monroe, Louisiana
RECORDS: ULM (7-17, 2-3 SBC)
Little Rock (9-14, 2-3 SBC)
TURNING POINT
-The ULM defense stranded eight Little Rock runners on the base paths throughout the afternoon, none bigger than when Anthony Herrera worked out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the top of the eighth when he struck out Bryce Dimitroff and then got Jonathan Davis to line out to end the frame.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-ULM struck first in the bottom of the opening inning, getting on the board via Blake Buckman's RBI single back up the middle before Little Rock took a momentary lead with two runs in the top of the second. The Warhawks then posted the four-run third inning, retaking the lead on RBI singles by Nate Reynolds and Johnny DeLaCruz before Chad Bell's two-out, two run double to push the lead out.
-Little Rock added single runs in both the fourth and seventh innings on a pair of solo home runs, each coming on the first pitch of the inning, before ULM used a Blake Buckman solo homer to left field in the bottom of the seventh inning for final breathing room.
-Buckman and Herrera each finished with two hits to lead ULM, who finished with nine hits as a team in the win. Herrera and Bell each notched doubles, while Buckman and Bell each had two RBI, with one run driven in by Reynolds and DeLaCruz.
-Warhawk starter Chase Beal (2-2) earned the win, tossing seven innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits and one walk while striking out five Little Rock batters. Herrera come on in relief for the final two innings, striking out two batters as he picked up his third save of the season.
UP NEXT
-The Warhawks wrap up the series with Little Rock on Sunday with a 1:00 p.m. in the series finale before hitting the road for their next four games, beginning with a short trip down I-20 to take on Louisiana Tech on Tuesday night.
