MONROE, La. – No. 15 Texas State scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to rally from a two-run deficit and then held on for the 5-4 win over ULM Friday night in the series opener at Warhawk Field.
Texas State (36-11 overall, 18-4 Sun Belt Conference) took advantage of two walks, a sacrifice bunt, an error, a sacrifice fly and two hits to take the lead in the ninth. A fielding error allowed Daylan Pena to score the first run of the inning while Ben McClain reached on the error. Wesley Faison hit a sacrifice fly to plate pinch-runner Kyle Atkinson to tie the game at 4. Jose Gonzalez then hit an infield single to push across Isaiah Ortega-Jones to put the Bobcats up, 5-4.
In the bottom of the ninth, ULM (15-28-1, 6-15-1) had
Grant Schulz reach on a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch but was stranded there as Tristan Stivors threw a scoreless inning for the save, his 11th of the season.
ULM took the early lead, putting two runs on the board in the first inning as Schulz hit a 2-RBI single to score
Trace Henry and
Ryan Cupit. However, the Warhawks stranded runners on second and third to end the inning.
Texas State answered in the top of the second as Pena hit a solo home run to right-center field to cut the gap in half, 2-1.
ULM responded in the bottom of the second, as Cupit hit an RBI single to left center, scoring
Carson Jones, to push the lead back to two, 3-1.
Texas State struck again in the third as Jose Gonzalez hit a two-out RBI double down the right field line to plate Dalton Shuffield, closing within 3-2.
The Warhawks again stretched the lead to two runs in the bottom half of the third. Jones hit a two-out RBI double to right center to bring home
Michelle Artzberger for the 4-2 lead. ULM chased Texas State starting pitcher Zeke Wood after just 2 2/3 innings, his shortest outing of the year.
Pitching settled in for both sides after the third inning.
Cam Barlow gutted through five innings in the start for ULM, allowing two runs on three hits with six strikeouts and three walks on 104 pitches.
Lucas Wepf threw two scoreless innings out of the bullpen with three strikeouts and two walks, while
Nicholas Judice threw a scoreless eighth inning with one strikeout and one walk.
Texas State's Triston Dixon (8-0) quieted ULM's bats. He threw 5 1/3 shutout innings, allowing three hits with five strikeouts and one walk. He did not allow a hit after the fifth inning.
Carson Orton (1-1) suffered the loss for ULM, allowing three runs, one earned, on two hits with no strikeouts and two walks in one inning.
Henry, Cupit, Schulz and Jones all had two hits each for ULM. Gonzalez and Peyton Lewis had two hits apiece to combine for four of Texas State's five hits.
The series continues at 2 p.m. Saturday at Warhawk Field.
