MONROE, La. – The ULM baseball team scored runs in every inning in which they stepped to the plate, and had multiple runs in seven of those eight innings, as they built an early 11-0 lead and cruised to a 23-12 win and a series sweep over Grambling State Sunday afternoon at Warhawk Field.
The Warhawks (5-1) topped 20 runs scored for the first time since Feb. 24, 2018, when they defeated Northern Kentucky 21-9 at Warhawk Field. ULM's 23 runs on Sunday is the most in a single game since the Warhawks tallied 24 in a 24-5 win at Little Rock on April 3, 2009. ULM's combined 45 runs over the three-game series (15 on Friday, 7 on Saturday) are the most by the Warhawks in a three-game series since scoring 46 runs in a three-game set vs. Middle Tennessee from April 18-20, 2008.
"We had a ton of quality at bats from the offensive side," ULM head coach Michael Federico said. "I don't know if I've ever been a part of scoring in every inning. That's a testament to what Coach (Matt) Collins and (Jake) Carlson are doing."
ULM had 17 hits in the game, but also took advantage of 13 walks issued by Grambling (3-4) pitching, as well as two hit batsmen and six Tiger errors.
ULM took control from the outset, scoring three runs in the first inning. Danny DeSimone opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly, and Ryan Humeniuk followed with an RBI triple off the top of the right-center field wall. Humeniuk later scored on a wild pitch for the 3-0 lead.
The Warhawks added four more runs in the second inning, using two Grambling errors, a walk, two hits, and two sacrifice flies to get the job done. Colin Gordon added a solo home run in the third inning, the first of his career, and then ULM tallied three more runs in the fourth inning, taking advantage of more walks and Grambling errors. ULM led 11-0.
"Right from BP, coach talked about how we want to set the tone early," Humeniuk said. "We want to come out with a ton of energy. We want to dictate the pace of the game and the pace of play. We wanted to come out and punch them in the mouth early, score a bunch early and get them down. That's something we felt like we didn't do well last Sunday when we had the chance to sweep. We wanted to make that a point of emphasis this Sunday. It worked out pretty well for us."
Grambling cranked up its offense in the fifth inning, scoring three runs. However, ULM answered right back with four more in the bottom half of the inning, highlighted by a pinch-hit two-RBI double for Cameron Horton. After the Tigers scored three more runs in the top of the sixth inning, the Warhawks added another two-RBI double, this time from Humeniuk, to push the lead back to 17-6. It was Humeniuk's fourth hit of the game, a career high. He also tallied four RBIs.
"Talking with coaches the last couple of days, just trying to keep (my approach) simple and let my offseason work pay off and try and drive the ball in the middle of the field," Humeniuk said. "I'm not trying to do too much with things. Good things happen for me when I do that."
After Brock Figueroa induced a double play ball to hold the Tigers off the board in the top of the seventh inning, ULM kept the run scoring parade going as Trace Henry picked up an RBI groundout and Horton added his third hit of the game with an RBI single. Grambling scored six runs in the top of the eighth to cut the gap to 19-12, but ULM answered with four more runs in the bottom of the eighth, including Henry's two-RBI double. Ryan Cupit's RBI groundout capped the scoring at 23-12.
In addition to Humeniuk's four-hit and four-RBI day, ULM also picked up three hits and three RBIs from Horton, while Andrew Beesley broke through for three hits. Gordon added a double and another RBI to his solo home run, while Michael Cervantes added two hits, including a double, and two runs scored in his collegiate debut off the bench. 13 different Warhawks saw an at bat, with nine registering at least one hit.
"I think that's just a testament to the way that we worked in the offseason and the way the coaching staff prepared us," Humeniuk said. "Every little piece of this machine matters. It doesn't matter if you're coming off the bench, if you're in the starting lineup, if you're the Friday night guy, every little piece is going to matter at some point in time. Cam Horton and Michael Cervantes are perfect examples of guys who really get after it every single day. They take care of their business off the field, and they come in and have a ton of success. I'm grateful for those guys and I'm excited for them. They've done a great job."
On the mound, ULM starting pitcher Kayleb Sanderson lasted 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts in a no-decision. Brock Figueroa (1-0) was credited with the win after coming out of the bullpen for two scoreless innings, giving up a hit and a walk. Five different pitchers stepped on the mound for ULM. Grambling scored all 12 of its runs over the final five innings, but never drew closer than a seven-run deficit.
"These games are difficult to manage sometimes when you get a big lead and you want to get people some playing time and you want to get some pitchers out there," Federico said. "Sometimes the score lets you get out of your rhythm of what it's like to do some things. It's disappointing a little bit from the pitching side of it. At the same time, we didn't walk a lot of people. We only had four walks on the day. You tip your cap to Grambling because you give up 17 hits, they earned their hits."
The Warhawks continue their season-opening 12-game home stand at 6 p.m. Tuesday when they host Southeastern Louisiana for the first game in a two-game mid-week set. For tickets, call 318-342-HAWK or visit ULMWarhawks.com. Links to live video, audio and stats are available at ULMWarhawks.com.
