MONROE, La. – Michelle Artzberger's two-RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning sent the ULM baseball team into wild celebration as the Warhawks picked up the walk-off win over Arkansas State, 7-6, to cap the 2024 season and sweep the series from the Red Wolves.
It is ULM's first Sun Belt Conference series sweep since taking all three games from Arkansas State in the 2022 season in Monroe.
ULM (25-30 overall, 11-19 Sun Belt Conference) trailed 6-5 entering the bottom of the ninth inning.
Easton Winfield hit a one-out bloop double to left center, taking second base when centerfielder Blake Burris dove for the ball but was unable to make the catch. After
Bryce Blaser grounded out for the second out of the inning,
Shawn Dalton Weatherbee battled back from an 0-2 count to earn a walk.
Cardell Thibodeaux entered the game as a pinch runner for Weatherbee and stole second base. With a 2-2 count, Artzberger hit a bouncing ball back through the middle into center field, as Winfield and Thibodeaux raced home with the tying and winning runs, respectively, as the Warhawks sprinted out into centerfield to celebrate with Artzberger.
It marked the seventh-straight game to end ULM's season in which the losing team scored first in the game.
Arkansas State (21-32-1, 7-22-1) opened the scoring in the second inning as Jared Toler hit a solo home run.
The Red Wolves added to the lead in the fourth inning as a two-out error allowed Toler and Cade Tucker to score for the 3-0 lead.
ULM broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning as Artzberger hit a two-out 2-run home run to right field to cut the deficit to 3-2.
The Warhawks then scratched two more runs to take the lead without recording a hit.
Jack Clark was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the fifth and was replaced by pinch runner
Jayson Zmejkoski. After
Carson Jones walked and
Hasani Johnson laid down a sacrifice bunt, Zmejkoski scored on
Matt Abshire's RBI groundout to tie the game at 3.
In the sixth inning, Weatherbee was hit by a pitch to leadoff the inning and Artzberger walked. After
Jake Haggard's sacrifice bunt and Zmejkoski's groundout to third, pitcher Blaine Harpenau was called for a balk with two strikes and two outs, allowing Weatherbee to score the go-ahead run, putting ULM up 4-3.
A-State responded in the top of the seventh as Cason Campbell hit a 2-run home run and Toler added an RBI single to put the Red Wolves back on top, 6-4.
ULM drew closer in the bottom of the eighth inning. Weatherbee led off with a single and moved to second on a fielding error on Artzberger's ground ball. After Haggard's second sacrifice bunt of the game, Zmejkoski walked to load the bases. With two outs, a wild pitch allowed Weatherbee to run home and get ULM within a run, 6-5, setting up the ninth inning dramatics.
Artzberger had two hits and four RBIs to lead ULM, while Winfield also had two hits as the Warhawks totaled just six hits as a team but took advantage of six walks and three hit batters by A-State pitching. Toler went 5-for-5 at the plate for A-State with two RBIs, as the Red Wolves piled up 12 hits.
On the mound,
Carson Orton earned the win for ULM in his school-record 92nd and final appearance, earning three strikeouts with one hit in a scoreless ninth inning.
Beau Blanchard threw 4 2/3 innings in his final start, allowing three runs, one earned, on five hits with a career-high seven strikeouts. For Arkansas State, Harpenau (1-1) took the loss, throwing 4 1/3 innings out of the bullpen, allowing four runs, three earned, on three hits with five walks and two strikeouts. Dylan Heine threw 4 1/3 innings in the start, allowing three runs on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts.
