TROY, Ala. -- The ULM softball team (26-15, 9-4 Sun Belt) extended its Sun Belt Conference winning streak Friday (April 12) night with a gritty 4-3 road win at Troy (27-16, 7-6) in the series opener at the Troy Softball Complex.
Jacelyn Buck and
Meagan Brown both delivered 2-RBI base hits with two outs and
Bristin Bordeau,
Gianni Hulett and
Maddie Nichols all held Troy scoreless out of the bullpen.
Lourdes Bacon singled to start the game before the next three Warhawks were put out. After a Troy one-out single,
Victoria Abrams forced the Trojans to ground into a double play that completed a scoreless first. Following a scoreless second inning, Troy's Sarah Beth Brake belted a leadoff home run in the bottom of the third to give Troy the lead. Abrams worked around a runner in scoring position with one out and pitched a strikeout and a ground out to limit Troy's scoring to one run in the third.
The Warhawks rallied with two outs in the fourth when
Andie Edwards drew a walk.
Layla Thompson blasted a double to center field and set up two runners in scoring position for the Warhawks.
Brooklin Lippert loaded the bases with a bunt single on the next at bat.
Jacelyn Buck followed with a two-RBI single that skipped off the third base bag down the left field line to give ULM a 2-1 lead. Troy regained the lead in the fourth when Libby Baker hit a solo home run and Anslee Finch added an RBI double to give the Trojans a 3-2 lead after four innings.
Madison Blount led off the fifth inning by reaching base on a hit by pitch. With
Taylor Broddick pinch-running at first,
Elle Carter singled up the middle. The Trojans then committed an error that loaded the bases with no one out. ULM lined into a double play, and Troy was one out away from escaping the inning without any damage. On a 2-2 pitch,
Meagan Brown hit a sharp grounder to the Troy shortstop. Brown hustled down the line and beat the throw from the shortstop. Broddick crossed home plate easily, and Carter wheeled around third base and slid in safely on the same play to give ULM a 4-3 lead in the fifth.
Bristin Bordeau shut the Trojans down in the bottom of the fifth, and the Warhawks held a one-run lead after five innings.
Thompson walked and Lippert singled on a bunt to start the sixth. Troy recorded three straight outs to keep it a one-run game. Bordeau gave way to
Gianni Hulett in the bottom of the sixth for the final out of the inning to keep the Trojans off the scoreboard.
Meagan Brown picked up her second hit with two outs in the seventh and Edwards reached base for her second time with a walk, but the Warhawks were unable to add an insurance run and clung to the slimmest of leads heading to the bottom of the seventh.
The first two Trojans reached on an error and a base hit to begin the bottom of the seventh. Hulett forced Troy into a ground out for the first out, with runners at second and third.
Maddie Nichols entered the game in a high-leverage situation. After a hit by pitch, Nichols settled in and recorded a pop out in foul ground to Thompson for a crucial second out. Nichols secured the final out of the game on a liner to Carter at shortstop, and the Trojans stranded the bases loaded to end the game with ULM hanging on for a 4-3 win.
Bordeau recorded her first win of her collegiate career and Nichols earned her second save of the season. The ULM bullpen allowed just two hits in four innings of work without allowing a run. Brown and Lippert registered multi-hit games for the Warhawks.
The ULM softball team will continue its series at Troy tomorrow (April 13) with first pitch slated for 3:30 p.m.
