MONROE, La. – The ULM Warhawks split the pair of games against Stephen F. Austin and Southern on Friday, Feb. 7, to start the Mardi Gras Invitational at the ULM Softball Complex. ULM fell to SFA 8-2 in the first game, but the Warhawks rallied to score seven runs in the first two innings against the Jaguars and went on to defeat Southern 9-1 in five innings.

"It feels great to get that first win," head coach Molly Fichtner said. "I know the girls are excited to go out on that high and get that winning feeling. "

Game 1: Stephen F. Austin 8, ULM 2

ULM couldn't find an answer for SFA's sophomore pitcher, Kassidy Wilbur, who pitched 6.1 innings and struck out eight batters. The Ladyjacks quickly jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning but went on to score another four runs in the second inning to make it a 5-0 game.

"Wilbur is a great pitcher," Fichtner said. "I think we got out of ourselves and swung at pitches we didn't need to swing at and we took the pitches we did need to swing at."

Freshman pitcher Kassidy Giddens got the start on the mound for the Warhawks and pitched an inning before being relieved by senior Jessie Watts, who pitched the rest of the game.

"Jessie is such an even-keel pitcher," Fichtner said. "She never gets high and never gets low. She had to find her rhythm and once she did, she was fine."

Senior Jayden Mount went 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and sophomore Korie Kreps went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Watts also went 1-for-2 at the plate with an RBI. Alysia Anderson, Kelsey Giddens and Jacelyn Buck all got their first career hits as well.

"I was so excited for those girls," Fichtner said. "You don't really think about it at the time, you just want more and more. But they did a great job today."

Shaylon Govan led the way for SFA as she went 2-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and two doubles. Alex Hedspeth went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Marisa Arriaga went 2-for-4 with an RBI and one double.

The Ladyjacks' Wilbur (1-0) picked up her first win of the season and struck out eight batters while Kassidy Giddens (0-1) took the loss for ULM.

Game 2 Recap: ULM 9, Southern 1 (5 Innings)

The Warhawks rebounded quickly during the second game as ULM scored seven runs in the first two innings to secure a victory over the Jaguars.

Kameri Mott hit a home run to start the game for Southern, but the Warhawks rebounded with a score of their own as Kreps scored on an RBI groundout by Mount. ULM continued the onslaught in the second inning when Jessica Williams got her first career hit as she hit a double down the third base line to bring Ana Hogan and Buck home. Williams, Kreps, Anderson and Mount continued the circuit around the bases and made it a 7-1 game going into the third inning.

"(Anderson) settled in nicely in the second game and that's what we want," Fichtner said. "And Jessica has put in so much work over the past year and she deserves it. She deserves all the good that comes her way and she's worked for it."

The Warhawks brought in another two runs in the fourth inning off a Jaguar error and a triple by Williams. Junior pitcher Amber Coons (1-0) finished the game strong for ULM and earned her first win for ULM while striking out five batters. Kaytlin Donaldson (0-1) started at pitcher for Southern and takes her first loss of the season.

"It's great to see Amber in a Warhawk uniform and even coach Wodach said she came out guns blazing with that first pitch and really set the tempo for that game," Fichtner said.

Kreps went 2-for-2 at the plate with an RBI and Williams went 2-for-3 with three RBIs, a double and a triple. Mount ended the game 1-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and one triple while Watts went 1-for-2 with one RBI.

The Warhawks will continue the Mardi Gras Invitational on Saturday with a matchup against Southern at 1:30 p.m. followed by another showdown with SFA at 4 p.m. For season tickets, call 318-342-HAWK or visit ULMWarhawks.com. Links to live video streams and live stats are available on the Softball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.

Follow along with all things Warhawk Softball on Facebook and Twitter at @ULM_Softball.