YOUNGSVILLE, La. – After falling short against McNeese State on Wednesday, the ULM Softball team is making the trek to Youngsville for the Mardi Gras Mambo that runs from Friday, Feb. 21, through Sunday, Feb. 23, at the Youngsville Sports Complex.
The Warhawks (3-7) will take on Houston Baptist, Abilene Christian, Incarnate Word, Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana over the weekend.
ULM's first matchup will take place on Friday at 1 p.m. against the Houston Baptist Huskies (7-3). This will be the sixth time the two teams have faced off. The Warhawks are undefeated in the series 5-0. ULM last matched up with the Huskies in 2017 at the Central Arkansas Tournament in Conway, Ark. The Warhawks won by a score of 4-3.
The Huskies are led by freshman Jasie Roberts, who is hitting .481 on the season. Three players are tied for a team-leading eight runs while five players each have a home run. Senior Heidi Jaquez leads the team with 10 RBIs while freshman Avery Drake has a team-leading four stolen bases.
ULM will then move to a Saturday doubleheader against Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word. The first game features the Warhawks against Abilene Christian (2-7) at 5 p.m. This will mark the third time ULM and the Wildcats have faced off. The Warhawks defeated Abilene Christian both times in the previous meetings. The two teams last did battle in 2017 in the NISC Region 4 bracket hosted in Beaumont, Texas. ULM defeated the Wildcats 7-0.
Senior Blair Clayton leads Abilene Christian in multiple categories. Clayton is hitting .357 on the season with six runs, three home runs and eight RBIs. Senior Linsey Tomlinson has a team-leading three stolen bases.
The second matchup on Saturday pits the Warhawks against Incarnate Word (4-5) at 7 p.m. for the second time in history. ULM defeated the Cardinals in March 2017, 6-1.
Freshman Bella Sanchez leads the way for Incarnate Word with a .500 batting average while freshman Kendall McGary has a team-leading eight runs. Sophomore Renee Hoffman also has a .500 batting average and leads the team with five RBIs.
ULM will wrap up the Mardi Gras Mambo on Sunday with another doubleheader against Nicholls State and Southeastern Louisiana. Old Southland Conference foes, ULM and Nicholls State (4-8), will do battle for the 95th time on Sunday at noon. The Colonels lead the series 55-38-1. The two teams met at the Houston Classic last year where Nicholls shut out the Warhawks 8-0.
Senior Samantha Mracich has hit .500 on the season while sophomore Kennedy Hebert leads the team with eight runs and four home runs. Junior Caitlin Garcia has nine RBIs on the season.
The last matchup of the weekend features ULM and Southeastern Louisiana (8-3) at 2 p.m for the 71st all-time meeting. The Lady Lions hold a narrow advantage over the Warhawks, 36-34. ULM traveled to Hammond in April of last year and defeated SLU 4-3.
Sophomore Lindsey Rizzo leads the way with a .517 batting average on the season. Junior Aeiryl Mass has a team-leading 12 runs while sophomore Briahna Bennett leads the team with two home runs. Junior Ella Manzer and sophomore Karlee Kraft are tied with nine RBIs apiece while Rizzo and Mass are tied with eight stolen bases each.
Links to live stats for the Mardi Gras Mambo can be found on the softball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com. Stay up to date with all things Warhawk Softball on Facebook and Twitter at @ULM_Softball.
