MONROE, La. – ULM scored eight runs in the bottom of the first inning to rally from an early deficit and cruised to a 13-6 win over Stephen F. Austin Wednesday night at Warhawk Field.
 
SFA (4-14 overall) claimed an early 2-0 lead as a walk and hit batsman extended the top of the first inning. Clayton Loranger and Cully Mangus followed with RBI singles to put the Lumberjacks up, 2-0.
 
The Warhawks answered in a big way in the bottom of the first inning. Senior Grant Schulz hit a 3-run home run to left to put ULM on top.
 
"Really have to tip my hat to our leadoff hitter (Mason Holt)," Schulz said. "He started it off with a loud double. I was just trying to pick him up, doing something small to get him and (Ryan) Cupit in. I just tried to do something little and finally I got one."
 
Later in the inning, senior Trace Henry hit an RBI single to left with the bases loaded to extend the advantage to 4-2. Moments later, senior Mason Holt had his second hit of the inning, this time unloading a grand slam over the left field wall to put the Warhawks ahead, 8-2.
 
"I was just hacking early," Holt said. "The times I've come up this year with the bases loaded, I've taken too many pitches, I feel like. I was just looking for the first one available and trying to hit it hard."
 
"I'm super proud that the offense came and gave us the eight spot," ULM head coach Michael Federico said.
 
SFA cut the gap to four, 9-5, in the top of the seventh inning. ULM answered in the bottom of the inning as sophomore Caleb Sterling hit his first career home run, a 2-run blast, and junior Chris Noble hit a 2-RBI double off the right center field wall as the lead ballooned to 13-5.
 
"I wasn't looking for anything but a fastball over the plate," Sterling said. "I got the good hit-and-run going. Apparently that's my bread and butter."
 
"The four-run seventh was huge just to give us a little bit of breathing room. We knew we were going to use a bunch of pitchers once we took Henry (Shuffler) out. Some guys had some pretty efficient innings defensively for us, and we played a clean game defensively."
 
ULM used seven pitchers, with redshirt freshman starting pitcher Henry Shuffler (1-2), throwing three innings, allowing three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Six pitchers threw one inning each behind Shuffler, with sophomore Nicholas Judice, redshirt freshman Adam Tubbs and junior Reid Goleman working a scoreless frame each.
 
Mangus (0-2) suffered the loss for SFA, allowing seven runs on six hits with no strikeouts and one walk in just 1/3 of an inning.
 
Henry had a season-high three hits for ULM while Holt had two hits and four RBIs and Noble added three RBIs while going 1-for-2 with three walks.
 
Jake Zarrello had four hits, including a home run, with two RBIs for SFA.
 
ULM opens a Sun Belt Conference series with Georgia State at 6 p.m. Friday at Warhawk Field.