MONROE, La. – The ULM softball team will take part in its second in-season tournament of the 2021 campaign this weekend when the Warhawks head to Birmingham, Alabama, to compete in the Samford Tournament on February 27-28.
The two-day, four-game event will pit ULM against Northern Iowa and Samford. The first game begins on Saturday, February 27 at 10 a.m. against the Panthers. The Warhawks will then face host Samford in a 1 p.m. contest on Saturday. Games on Sunday are set for 11 a.m. vs. UNI and 2 p.m. against the Bulldogs.
ULM (3-2) has won three of its last four games, including a 3-2 victory over Southern on Wednesday evening in Baton Rouge. The Warhawks rallied from a 1-0 deficit to tie the game in the third inning when
Madison Blount doubled down the left field line to score
Caley McGuff.
Two innings later, a sacrifice fly by
Korie Kreps scored
Kelsey Giddens to put ULM up 2-1. The Warhawks added an insurance run when
Gianni Hulett singled to left center, scoring McGuff for the 3-1 lead. Southern got a run back in the bottom of the fifth when Parks singled to center, scoring Brown. However, the Jaguars were unable to tie the game, which was called due to darkness following the inning.
ULM has seven sluggers hitting better than .300 on the season, including
Kennedy Johnson who leads the way with a .571 batting average. Johnson is 4-of-7 at the plate for the Warhawks with an RBI. Kreps, who is boasting a .538 batting average, is one of two players in the ULM lineup with a home run. Blount, who ranks third on the team in batting average (.400) leads the Warhawks in doubles (three) and RBI (seven) to go along with a .800 slugging percentage.
The trio of Hulett,
Kassidy Giddens and
Adrianna Chavarria have one win each on the mound for ULM. Chavarria has logged 13 1/3 innings in the circle, fanning a team-best 16 opposing hitters.
Samford (2-5) dropped a doubleheader to Troy on Wednesday evening by scores of 3-2 and 7-1, halting a brief two-game winning streak. The Bulldogs are led offensively by Ryan Brzozoski, who is responsible for a .304 batting average after going 7-of-23 from the plate with a double. The top run producers are Timberlyn Shurbutt and Mekhi Mayfield, who have five RBI each.
On the mound, Abby Swaney and Emily Barnett have one win each in four appearances. Swaney tops the unit in strikeouts (15), tossing 20 innings on the season.
Northern Iowa (3-3) has dropped three of its last five games, splitting a doubleheader with Lipscomb on Wednesday night. The Panthers lost the opening game by a 9-1 score, but came away with a 3-1 win in the nightcap.
The duo of Ellie Owen and Sammey Bunch lead the Panther offense, hitting .429 and .421, respectively. Owen is 3-for-7 at the plate with a .429 slugging percentage. Meanwhile, Bunch leads Northern Iowa in hits (eight), runs (six), home runs (five) and RBI (nine). She is responsible for a 1.211 slugging percentage and is brandishing a .476 on-base percentage.
Hannah Kelly is responsible for a 2-0 record on the mound, logging 7.2 innings, allowing 13 hits while striking out five batters. Kailyn Packard leads the Panthers in strikeouts (14), while Samantha Heyer has logged the most innings (13.1).
All four games will be televised by ESPN+. Links to ESPN+ and live stats can be found on the softball schedule page at ULMWarhawks.com.
