MONROE, La. – New Orleans took advantage of a defensive mistake and followed it with an RBI double to push across two runs in the top of the ninth inning as the Privateers went on to the 13-11 win over ULM in a back-and-forth contest Saturday afternoon at Warhawk Field.
 
"We've got to find some ways to win baseball games to give this team and this coaching staff some confidence," ULM head coach Michael Federico said.
 
It was ULM's (1-8) eighth consecutive loss despite a season-best day in runs (11) and hits (14).
 
With the game tied at 11 entering the ninth inning, UNO's (7-2) Amani Larry worked a one-out walk. Pearce Howard followed with a single to center to move Larry to third base. Anthony Herron Jr. hit a pop-up in foul territory on the first base side. ULM senior first baseman Grant Schulz reached over the railing at the end of the Warhawk dugout to make the catch. However, ULM left home plate vacated as Larry tagged up and scored on the play to put UNO up 12-11.
 
"I just don't understand why we keep doing some of the same things we're doing," Federico said. "Even the play where Schulz makes a nice catch at the dugout. (Catcher) Matthew Lee goes over there, but we've got to rotate around. It's not something you can really practice a lot because it doesn't happen much. It's one of those things as a third baseman or a shortstop or a pitcher, you've got to recognize that somebody's tagging and you've got to get ahead of them. Schulz made the play when he needed to."
 
Miguel Useche followed with a double down the right field line to plate Howard for the 13-11 advantage.
 
ULM senior Mason Holt picked up his third hit of the game in the bottom of the ninth with a one-out single, but he was stranded on first base to end the game.
 
"It's like the movie, 'The Natural,'" Federico said. "Losing is a disease as contagious as the plague. Right now, we've got the plague. We've got to figure it out. We can feel sorry for ourselves or we can take our medicine, find a way to get healthy and we can win baseball games."
 
After scoring no more than three runs in seven of their first eight games, the Warhawks came out on fire at the plate on Saturday, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Sophomore Chase DeJean's RBI single scored Holt, while senior Trace Henry's RBI groundout plated DeJean. Senior Colby Deaville picked up the first of a career-high four hits and three RBIs with an RBI single to score sophomore Landon Cato for the 3-0 lead.
 
UNO answered back in the top of the second, scoring five runs. Travis Gober clubbed a 3-run home run to right center, while Larry hit a 2-run shot to left.
 
ULM responded in the bottom of the inning. Schulz's RBI double brought in Holt, and Cato hit his first career home run, a 2-run blast to right center, for the 6-5 lead.
 
The Warhawks added to the lead in the third as Deaville led off with a double and scored on a throwing error, while Holt added an RBI groundout to bring home Carson Jones to go up 8-5.
 
UNO struck back for two in the fourth inning as Herron hit a two-out, 2-RBI single to pull within a run, 8-7.
 
The Privateers went back on top in the sixth. Two ULM throwing errors and a walk loaded the bases and led to Herron's second 2-RBI single to put UNO on top, 9-8.
 
"Nobody is trying to do any of this stuff," Federico said. "We're trying to figure it out. Some of the guys that have been making some of those errors are some of our better players. They've got to get it done. I know they're trying to execute and they want to win so bad. But when it comes down to it, we've got to make those plays when we need to."
 
ULM answered with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. Deaville and sophomore Caleb Sterling hit back-to-back RBI doubles to go back up 10-9.
 
UNO knotted it right back up in the top of the seventh on a solo home run by Jeissy De La Cruz, 10-10, and regained the lead in the eighth on Gober's RBI single, leading 11-10.
 
ULM tied it back up in the bottom of the eighth on Deaville's fourth hit, a two-out RBI single that scored Henry to knot the game at 11.
 
UNO's Caleb Seroski (1-0) earned his first win of the season by throwing the final 1 2/3 innings, allowing no runs on two hits with one walk and one strikeout. ULM senior Lucas Wepf (1-2) took the loss, allowing three runs on four hits with two walks and two strikeouts in two innings.
 
Deaville's four-hit and three-RBI game led the Warhawks in just his second start of the season after losing the starting shortstop job to sophomore Carson Jones. Jones started at second base Saturday.
 
"That's what life is about," Federico said. "Guys don't win the job. It's part of life. You can sulk and you can feel sorry for yourself or you can find a way to keep showing up every day and find a way to get in the lineup and take advantage of it. He took advantage of it today."
 
Holt had three hits while Schulz and Cato had two hits each for ULM. Senior Ryan Cupit walked four times. Herron had three hits and five RBIs for UNO, while Larry, Useche and Gober had two hits each. Gober added four RBIs.
 
The series wraps up at 1 p.m. Sunday at Warhawk Field.