MONROE, La. – Easton Winfield and
Matt Abshire had three hits while
Brandon Brewer and
Carson Orton came out of the bullpen to allow just one run and two hits over the final four innings as ULM opened the series with a 7-5 win over Texas State Friday night at Lou St. Amant Field.
Winfield had three hits, including a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first inning, with two RBIs and two runs scored while Abshire had three hits, including a double, with an RBI, a run scored and a walk to lead ULM (16-17 overall, 4-9 Sun Belt Conference).
Shawn Dalton Weatherbee added two hits with an RBI while
Ian Montz had his first career multi-hit game with two hits.
Brewer and Orton provided a solid bullpen behind starting pitcher
Cam Barlow, who threw five innings for his third-straight start, allowing four runs on four hits with four strikeouts. Brewer (2-0) earned the win, allowing one run on two hits with three strikeouts over 2 2/3 innings, while Orton notched his first save of the season and 19th of his career with 1 1/3 shutout innings and three strikeouts.
Daylan Pena led Texas State with two hits, including a 3-run home run, and picked up four RBIs with a run scored. Rashawn Galloway picked up the other RBI on a sacrifice fly for the Bobcats.
Austin Eaton threw five innings in the start, allowing two runs on six hits with a season-high nine strikeouts. Peyton Zabel (2-1) suffered the loss, allowing three runs, two earned, on two hits with one walk and one strikeout. Texas State committed four errors.
Winfield opened the scoring with a leadoff homerun to right-center field in the bottom of the first inning, collecting his team-best eighth homer of the season.
Texas State tied the game in the top of the second inning as Aaron Lugo hit a triple and scored on Galloway's sacrifice fly to knot the game at 1.
The Bobcats pushed in front in the third inning as Pena hit a 3-run homer with two outs to claim the 4-lead.
ULM answered in the bottom half of the inning.
Kade Dupont was hit by a pitch with one out and moved to third base on Weatherbee's single. Dupont scored on
Bryce Blaser's RBI groundout to cut the gap to two, 4-2.
Eaton recorded five of the next six outs by strikeout to keep ULM's offense shut down. However, the Warhawks broke through against the bullpen.
Zabel entered the game for the bottom of the sixth inning, and the Warhawks went to work.
Jake Haggard opened the inning with a single.
Ian Montz hit a one-out double down the right field line to move Haggard to third base. Haggard scored on a wild pitch and Montz moved to third base as ULM pulled within a run, 4-3. After Abshire walked,
Hasani Johnson laid down a bunt with a safety squeeze on, allowing Montz to score the tying run as the throw home went high and to the backstop, allowing Abshire to advance to third base. Winfield hit a pop fly down the third base line, which dropped in for an RBI single, sending home Abshire for the 5-4 lead.
ULM added an insurance run in the seventh inning as Blaser led off with a double and scored on Abshire's two-out RBI single for a 6-4 advantage.
Brewer allowed just an infield single over his first two innings on the mound but surrendered a run in the top of the eighth inning, as Pena hit an RBI single with two outs to cut the lead to one, 6-5. Orton entered the game to record the final out of the inning and preserve the lead.
The Warhawks took the insurance run back in the bottom of the eighth inning as Weatherbee hit an RBI single to plate Winfield for the 7-5 lead.
Orton allowed a base runner with two outs but locked down the save with a strikeout to give ULM the victory.
The series continues at 2 p.m. Saturday at Lou St. Amant Field.
