RUSTON, La. – Limited to three hits, the ULM softball team found itself on the wrong end of a 9-0 run-rule setback Tuesday night at Dr. Billy Brundick Field in Ruston, La. The Warhawks (18-15, 4-8) left seven runners stranded, including a bases-loaded opportunity in their half of the fourth inning.
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"There are a lot of things we need to work on after a game like tonight," said ULM head coach
Molly Fichtner. "We need to have better starting pitching and we have to take care of the ball. We hit the ball pretty well, but it was right at people and we are going to find those holes eventually. We just need to get up tomorrow, get to practice and get better. That's what we can do each day. We're still preparing for postseason, that's what we're doing right now."
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Audrey Pickett (16-4) captured the win, pitching five innings in the complete game. She gave up three hits, struck out four and walked four.
Kinsey Kackley (5-5) was tagged with the loss with a tough first inning that gave the Lady Techsters an early 4-0 lead.
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LA Tech jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the first inning, using a lead-off triple followed by a home run for two quick runs. A double brought in two more runs after the Warhawks' second error of the inning. The second inning produced two more runs for the Lady Techsters after a Brooke Diaz home run also plated the runner from the lead-off single. Diaz homered again in the third, driving in three runs after two walks were issued to the first two LA Tech batters.
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Alexis Chavez and
Lourdes Bacon extended their hitting streaks to five games and three games, respectively, and
Madelyn Fletcher had ULM's third hit. Three Warhawks pitched in relief with
Victoria Abrams and
Kassidy Giddens each pitching an inning and
Adrianna Chavarria closing the final 1.2 innings with three strikeouts.
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ULM returns home for a three-game Sun Belt Conference series vs. Texas State Friday-Sunday, April 8-10. The Warhawk and Lady Techsters will play the second game of the home-and-home series in Monroe, La., on Tuesday, May 3.
