JACKSON, Miss. – It was a cold a rainy day in Monroe, Louisiana, but the ULM softball team stayed hot in Jackson with a double-header win over Jackson State University on Wednesday (Mar.28). The Warhawks defeated the Lady Tigers in back-to-back five-inning shut-outs.
ULM rolled into Jackson today with a sort of chip on its shoulder; the team was .500 overall this season, but boasted the best batting average in the league and top 20 in the nation- their efforts at the plate weren't calculating to their win-loss record.
Tonight, was a different story for the Warhawks, as they put up two impressive performances and advanced to 15-13 on the season overall.
In game one, the Hawks looked to be struggling in the early innings, as they went two full innings before earning their first hit off the bat of
Jaclyn Kresta in the top of the third.
Only one inning later, the ULM bats showed up, raking in six runs on six hits. The Warhawks batted around the order that inning, starting with sophomore
Cheyanne Lyon's single to right center and ending with Lyon's ground out to the circle to end the inning.
Junior catcher
Brie Wrobel was the first to pull in a run with a single to short stop, scoring
Victoria Pederson who was in to pinch run for Lyon after her base hit.
Megan Shaw would hit a single as well, moving Wrobel to second and scoring
Ana Hogan, who reached on a double to center-field just before her.
Kresta singled to left field, scoring Wrobel and giving the Warhawks a 3-0 lead.
Sydney McKay, a notoriously hard hitter for the Hawks, laid it down on Wednesday night, starting with an RBI single to center field that scored two more for ULM in the fourth.
Hunter Hogan added another run for the Hawks with a sacrifice bunt that scored McKay.
Leading 6-0, ULM put an exclamation mark on the win in the fifth inning when they added five more runs off the bats of
Jayden Mount,
Hunter Hogan, and McKay once more.
Hunter Hogan's fifth inning triple became an RBI when the Lady Tiger's second baseman committed an error, allowing Hogan to complete her trip around the bases.
Jackson State was unable to score in the fifth inning, as ULM took the win in five innings. Senior
Paige Murray pitched her third straight complete game, and second consecutive win in game one. Murray allowed only four hits over five innings and struck out three.
For game two, head coach
Corey Lyon called on
Sydney Wader. Wader earned her third win of the year while allowing no runs, only one hit, and striking out six. With Wader on the mound, the Lady Tigers were sat down in order in all five innings but the first.
The Warhawks on the other hand, wasted no time stringing together hits to put some runs on the board. Starting in the first inning, McKay led off with a single to the shortstop. She would score on a
Rochelle Roberts single later that inning. Roberts single also scored Mount who was hit-by-pitch after McKay's single.
Mount connected on a single to center field that would score McKay in the top of the second to give the Hawks a four-run lead after two innings of work.
ULM would score the final four runs of the day in the third inning, sparked by Roberts who reached on a bunt, before stealing second and third base, and then scored on a wild pitch.
Lyon would be walked, and in comes Pederson once again to pinch run for the Hawks. Pederson would score on an RBI single by Wrobel.
Wrobel too would earn a pinch runner, this time freshman
Ava Heidorn. Heidorn advanced to second on a hit by Shaw, then moved to third on a ground out off the bat of Kresta. Kresta's hit would also score
Ana Hogan on the play.
Heidorn scored the eighth and final run of the day when McKay put the ball in play and grounded out to first base.
The Warhawk's 8-0 shutout win in game two was only their third shutout of the season.
ULM will be back in action this weekend, when they host Sun Belt opponent Coastal Carolina. The two teams are scheduled for a double-header on Friday (Mar.30) starting at 1 p.m. and a third game on Saturday (Mar.31) at 12 p.m.
