MONROE, La. – Troy starting pitcher Garrett Gainous allowed just one run on two hits while striking out a career-high 12 batters in seven innings as the Trojans opened the series with a 7-2 win over ULM Friday night at Warhawk Field.
 
Gainous (4-2), who had 11 strikeouts through five innings, allowed just a solo home run to Caleb Sterling in the third inning and a double to Colby Deaville in the fifth inning on a ball that dropped between three defenders for Troy in right-center field.
 
ULM had only the two hits on the night, using two errors and two walks, including a bases-loaded RBI walk to Mason Holt, to push across a run in the eighth inning.
 
With ULM up 1-0 on the strength of Sterling's homer, Troy went ahead in the fifth inning as Jesse Hall's two-out RBI single scored Easton Kirk, while Clay Stearns scored when Sterling dropped the ball from his mitt on a play at the plate.
 
Troy added three more runs in the sixth inning. With the bases empty and two outs, Troy strung together a walk and three hits, including RBI singles by Brandon Schrepf and Stearns, to push the lead to 5-0. The Trojans added two runs in the eighth inning with an RBI walk to Schrepf and a wild pitch to score Seth Johnson.
 
Cam Barlow (2-3) suffered the loss for ULM, allowing six runs, four earned, on nine hits with four strikeouts and one walk in a career-high 7 1/3 innings.
 
The series continues at 2 p.m. Saturday at Warhawk Field.