MONROE, La. – ULM scored 13 unanswered runs and turned four double plays as the Warhawks rallied from an early 5-0 deficit for a 13-7 win on Senior Night Friday night vs. Arkansas State to claim the series victory at Warhawk Field.
The win secured ULM's spot in next week's Sun Belt Conference Championship, which begins Tuesday at Riverwalk Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama.
The Warhawks honored seven seniors playing their final home series before the game:
Ryan Cupit,
Colby Deaville,
Trace Henry,
Mason Holt,
Tyler Lien,
Grant Schulz and
Lucas Wepf.
Arkansas State (11-37 overall, 5-23 Sun Belt Conference) didn't make it easy on the Warhawks (18-34-1, 8-20-1). The Red Wolves scored five runs in the top of the first inning, using a pair of two-out home runs to build the margin. Brandon Hager hit a 2-run home run for the 2-0 lead before a walk and a double set up Justin Medlin's 3-run homer to right to push the lead to 5-0.
ULM responded immediately. Schulz hit a 2-RBI single and
Chase DeJean hit a 2-RBI sacrifice fly, with Schulz scoring from second on the play, to cut the gap to 5-4 after an inning.
The Warhawks tied the game up in the third inning when Schulz connected on a solo home run to left field, his fifth of the season.
ULM claimed the lead in the fourth inning when
Carson Jones reached on a walk and moved up two bases on Henry's sacrifice bunt. He came in to score on a wild pitch for the 6-5 lead.
The Warhawks extended the lead in the sixth inning as
Matthew Lee and
Carson Jones scored on a pair of wild pitches. Schulz picked up his fourth RBI of the night with a single and DeJean added an RBI single to close the four-run inning with a 10-5 lead.
ULM put the exclamation point on the win in the seventh inning with Holt's two-out 3-run home run to left, going on top 13-5. It was Holt's team-leading 15th home run of the year, moving him into a tie for fifth place in ULM single-season history.
While the offense got on a roll, ULM starting pitcher
Cam Barlow and reliever
Tylor Jans settled in on the mound.
After getting roughed up in the first inning, Barlow bounced back, using the first double play ball of the night to pitch a scoreless second inning. He used another double play to escape the third unscathed. An outfield assist by
Trace Henry in the fourth helped keep the Red Wolves off the board as he threw out Medlin trying to extend a single into a double. Barlow tossed 4 2/3 innings, allowing five runs on eight hits with two strikeouts and four walks in a no-decision.
Jans (2-4) followed behind Barlow with 3 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, allowing just two hits with two strikeouts and one walk to earn the win. He used a pair of double plays, one in the sixth and another in the seventh, to help keep A-State off the board.
The win secured ULM's first series victory since taking two-out-of-three games from Georgia State from March 25-27.
ULM wraps up the regular season at 1 p.m. Saturday vs. Arkansas State at Warhawk Field.
