MONROE, La. -- The ULM softball team (13-5) extended its winning streak to four games on Sunday (Feb. 25) with wins over Evansville (0-12) and Sam Houston (6-7) on the final day of the Best on the Bayou Tournament at the ULM Softball Complex in Monroe, La. 

Game One – ULM 9, Evansville 1 (5 innings) 

Victoria Abrams struck out the first batter she faced and wrapped up the first inning sitting down the Aces in order. Lourdes Bacon and Carys Platt both reached base in the Warhawks' half of the first on a base hit and walk, respectively. Both runners were left on base to end the inning. Abrams sat down her second batter of the day on a strikeout to end the second. ULM capitalized on a two-out rally in the bottom of the second and took the lead. Madison Blount drew a walk and Taylor Broddick pinch ran and stole second on the first pitch of the next at bat. Andie Edwards sent a ball into the right center field gap to score Broddick. Bacon followed with a bloop RBI knock down the left field line that scored Edwards to give the Warhawks a 2-0 advantage. 

Evansville pushed across a run in the third after an error and cut ULM's lead in half. Meagan Brown doubled to lead off the third. The Aces escaped the inning without giving up a run after Brown was called out at the plate on a wild pitch. The Warhawks did severe damage at the plate in the bottom of the fourth inning and scored five runs. Jacelyn Buck launched her first home run of the season to start the scoring for ULM. After an Edwards double, a Bacon single and a Platt walk, Meagan Brown attacked the first pitch of her at bat and cleared the bases with a triple that increased the Warhawks' lead to 6-1. Maryssa Zenzen capped off the five-run inning with a sacrifice fly that brought home Brown. 

Abrams struck out her seventh batter of the game for the first out of the fifth. Bristin Bordeau secured the final two outs of the inning after pitching a strikeout and a fly out. Buck, Blount and Edwards all walked to start the bottom of the fifth. Buck scored on a Bacon sacrifice fly to center field to make the score 8-1. Brown smacked the game-winning hit with an RBI hit to left center field and scored Blount to give the Warhawks a 9-1 run-rule victory over the Aces. 

Both Bacon and Brown finished with three hits apiece and multiple RBIs. Brown drove in four RBIs and powered a trio of extra-base hits. Edwards finished with two hits and Buck hit a towering home run. With the win, Abrams improved her record to 5-2 on the season and struck out seven batters in her start. 

Game Two – ULM 5, Sam Houston 1 

A pair of Bearkats reached base safely in the top half of the first. Abrams worked around the traffic and finished the inning with a strikeout. Bacon singled and Platt moved her to second with a sacrifice bunt. Bacon then stole third and Meagan Brown walked and swiped second. Edwards drove home Bacon on a sacrifice fly to right and gave ULM a 1-0 lead. Sam Houston tied the game in the second inning with a two-out hit. Bacon cut down a Bearkat at the plate and kept the game tied at 1-1. Buck and Madelyn England worked walks in the bottom half of the second inning before Sam Houston turned a double play to keep the game tied after two innings. 

Maddie Nichols tossed a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the third. ULM took advantage of a Bearkat error in the third inning that put Bacon at first base with no outs. Platt slapped a single to left and moved Bacon to second. After a groundout, Edwards lined a base hit to center field and Bacon scored easily to give ULM the lead. Ashlan Ard followed with an RBI base hit to left and scored Platt for ULM's third run. The Warhawks added another run in the third when Edwards slid in safely on a fielder's choice to make the score 4-1 ULM after three innings of play. 

After a scoreless fourth inning, Edwards sent a pitch over the center field wall for her first dinger of the season to make the score 5-1 Warhawks. Nichols continued her sharp pitching and struck out the side in the top of the sixth inning. The Bearkats loaded the bases in the top of the seventh inning with one out. Nichols fanned a batter for the second out and induced a popout for the final out of the game and the Warhawks won, 5-1. 

Nichols completed 5.1 innings and allowed just two hits while striking out six. Platt, Edwards and Ard all finished with multi-hit games. Bacon and Edwards scored two runs apiece and Edwards drove in a trio of RBIs. 

The ULM softball team will be back at home on Wednesday (Feb. 28) night versus Jackson State at 6 p.m.