MONROE, La. – South Alabama used a 3-run home run by Austin Thrasher to take the lead in the fourth inning, and then added three more runs in the sixth inning, including a 2-run home run by JG Bell, as the Jaguars evened up the series with ULM with a 9-6 victory Saturday afternoon at Lou St. Amant Field.
ULM (14-21 overall, 4-9 Sun Belt Conference) took the 1-0 lead in the first inning. The Warhawks loaded the bases with one out before
Jake Haggard hit a sacrifice fly to deep right-center field, scoring
Kade Dupont for the early advantage.
South Alabama (16-18, 6-8) answered in the third inning as the Jaguars loaded the bases with one out and Tyler Borges hit a sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Thrasher to knot the game at 1.
USA took the lead for good in the fourth as Thrasher connected for a 3-run home run to left, putting the Jags up, 4-1. Bell followed with a 2-run homer in the sixth and an RBI groundout by Joseph Sullivan plated Will Turner for the 7-1 lead.
ULM responded with two runs in the bottom half of the sixth, as
Riley Davis led off with a homer, his fifth of the year, and
Carson Jones hit a two-out RBI single to left center to score Meche and bring ULM within four, 7-3. South Alabama responded with two runs in the top of the eighth, as Micah Morgan reached on a dropped fly ball in left field with two outs, allowing Sullivan and Turner to score to push the lead back to six, 9-3.
The Warhawks tried to make a push in the bottom of the ninth, as
Zack Floyd led off with a solo homer and, after a walk to
Kade Dupont,
Shawn Dalton Weatherbee crushed a 2-run homer. However, USA closer Grant Wood retired the next three Warhawks to end the game with the 9-6 win.
Davis had three hits to lead ULM, while Weatherbee added two RBIs. Thrasher, who entered the game with four hits on the season, led USA with three hits and added three RBIs.
On the mound, USA's Mitchell Heer (2-1) earned the win, throwing 5 2/3 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Wood threw the final three innings for the save, giving up three runs on two hits with one walk and three strikeouts.
Chipper Menard (2-4) suffered the loss for ULM, allowing seven runs, six earned, on seven hits with four walks and five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.
The two teams close out the three-game series at 1 p.m. Sunday at Lou St. Amant Field.
