MONROE, La. – The ULM baseball team (2-0) swept its opening day doubleheader over Eastern Illinois (0-2) on Friday (Feb. 14) at Lou St. Amant Field in Monroe, La.
 
The doubleheader sweep marks the first time a ULM baseball team has done so since 2021 when the Warhawks swept UT Arlington in a May doubleheader at home.
 
Game One – ULM 11, EIU 7
With two outs in the top of the first, the Panthers strung two hits and a walk together to load the bases. EIU plated two runs after a hit by pitch and a walk for the first runs of the game. Lunsford doubled to left center and Walker singled in the bottom half of the inning. Conklin got a punchout and a groundout to preserve a 2-0 lead after one inning for the visitors. In the second inning, the Panthers again rallied with two outs and no one on after a double by Wilson and a two-RBI double by Bauerle increased EIU's lead to 4-0 early.
 
ULM loaded the bases with no outs following Henry Garcia Jr.'s first hit as a Warhawk followed by a walk by Jack Clark and a crafty bunt infield single by Tony Lindwedel. After a Michelle Artzberger RBI groundout to get the Warhawks on the board, Colby Lunsford drew a walk with two outs to load the bases once again. Isaiah Walker delivered a two out, two RBI knock to right field and scored Clark and Lindwedel to bring ULM within one. On a 1-0 count, Jake Haggard cranked the first home run of the season with a three-run dinger over the left field wall to give the Warhawks a 6-4 lead. Starting pitcher Daniel Gonzalez settled in and retired the Panthers in order in the top of the third. Angelo Aleman singled with two outs in the bottom half of the inning for ULM.
 
Zach Shaw entered the game for the Warhawks on the mound in the top of the fourth inning and worked around two EIU hits and picked up a double play turned by Haggard to end the inning. After the Warhawks went down in order, Shaw struck out his first two batters of the game to begin the fifth as part of a 1-2-3 inning. Bryce Blaser collected his second single of the game to lead off the fifth for ULM before three consecutive outs. Shaw was the beneficiary of another double play turned by Artzberger in the top of the sixth to keep EIU off the board and ULM maintained a 6-4 lead through six innings.
 
The Panthers' only damage in the top of the seventh was a leadoff single before Shaw recorded three-straight outs. With two outs in the bottom half of the inning, Blaser launched a solo home run over the right field fence and pushed the ULM lead to 7-4. Shaw wrapped up his dominant performance on the bump with a pair of strikeouts in the eighth and completed his fifth inning of scoreless work. The ULM offense produced four insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth. Lindwedel and Aleman hit consecutive doubles for the Warhawks' eighth run. A Lunsford RBI single scored Aleman to push ULM's advantage to 9-4. Blaser hammered his fourth hit of the day and brought in two and the Warhawks led 11-4 heading to the ninth. EIU's Brett Stanley homered with two on to trim ULM's lead to four in the ninth. Ashton Bassett fired a strikeout for the final out of the game and the Warhawks secured game one, 11-7.
 
Shaw earned the win and totaled five innings of scoreless work while surrendering five hits and striking out four. Blaser went 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored on his solo homer. Walker finished with three hits and two RBI while Lunsford, Garcia Jr., Lindwedel and Aleman all had multi-hit games.
 
Game Two – ULM 8, EIU 1
ULM starting pitcher Landon Grigg fanned a Panther for the final out of a scoreless first inning. EIU strung two consecutive hits together in the top of the second inning before a 31 minute rain delay halted play. After the delay, Grigg returned and held the Panthers scoreless with two runners in scoring position after a strikeout and a groundout. ULM struck first in the bottom of the second after Haggard scored on a sacrifice fly by Garcia Jr. Grigg punched out two more batters in the top of the third and the Panthers stranded three men on base as ULM clung to a one-run lead. Artzberger and Walker both picked up hits in the third with Walker driving in Aleman to increase the Warhawks' lead, 2-0 through three.
 
Grigg caught an EIU hitter looking at strike three to end the fourth and complete his night on the mound, registering six punchouts in his first start at The Lou. The ULM offense broke out in a big way in the bottom of the fourth and hung five runs all with two outs. Lindwedel began the two out rally with a double to right center followed by a walk by Aleman. Artzberger scored Lindwedel on an RBI base hit to left. After a Lunsford walk, Walker again delivered a big hit up the middle that plated two more Warhawks to make it a 5-0 ULM lead. Haggard capped off the huge inning with a two-RBI hit to left and ULM led 7-0 after four innings.
 
Brandon Brewer provided three innings out of the bullpen and struck out four hitters and allowed an unearned run. ULM pushed its lead to 8-0 in the sixth inning after Walker racked up his third hit of the night on a double off the left field wall and scored on a Haggard RBI hit to right. Eastern Illinois scored a run from a sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning. Hasani Johnson collected ULM's 10^th hit of the game in the bottom half of the seventh inning. Holden Hess and Adam Tubbs shut the door in innings eight and nine respectively and wrapped up the doubleheader sweep for the Warhawks with an 8-1 win in game two.
 
Walker tallied another three hits in game two and plated three runs in total. Artzberger and Haggard also swung for multi-hit games with Haggard recording three RBI. Walker, Blaser and Lindwedel all had extra base hits. The ULM pitching staff totaled 12 strikeouts in game two, with Grigg and Brewer combining for 10. Brewer was declared the winning pitcher after working innings five through seven.
 
The ULM baseball team is scheduled to wrap up its season-opening series versus Eastern Illinois at The Lou on Sunday (Feb. 16) at 1 p.m.