MONROE, La. – The ULM baseball team (2-1) tied the game in the seventh inning but ultimately fell in the series finale to Eastern Illinois (1-2) by a score of 6-2 on Sunday (Feb. 16) at Lou St. Amant Field.
 
RBI base hits by Henry Garcia Jr. and Jack Clark evened the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the seventh, but the Panthers rallied in the eighth inning and scored four runs with two outs. ULM left 14 runners on base and hit 3-for-13 with runners in scoring position.
 
Eastern Illinois struck first with a pair of singles in the first inning which included an RBI hit by Pierce Bauerle with two outs that scored Eli Hill. After the Warhawks went down in order in the first, Joey Cirelli tossed a scoreless top of the second and recorded his second punchout after Marcus Aranda cut down a Panther attempting to swipe second base. The Panthers committed two errors to start the bottom of the second, but the Warhawks could not capitalize on the miscues and EIU led 1-0 after two. Colby Lunsford lifted a double off the right field wall with one runner on for ULM's first extra base hit of the day. ULM loaded the bases with two outs but could not scratch a run across the plate and the Panthers maintained a 1-0 lead through three innings.
 
Aranda, Angelo Aleman and Lunsford all tallied singles with two outs in the bottom of the fourth. On a 3-2 pitch with the bases loaded and two outs, Bauerle grabbed a foul popup over the rail of the Panthers' dugout off the bat of Artzberger to hold the Warhawks off the scoreboard. EIU added a run in the fifth inning from a two-out RBI double by Hill that scored Quade Peters. ULM stranded two runners on in the bottom half of the inning after Blaser drew a walk and Henry Garcia Jr. singled with two outs. Justin Robinson worked around a two-out walk to keep the deficit at two after the top of the sixth. ULM left one on base in the bottom of the sixth and EIU remained ahead 2-0 after six.
 
After a 1-2-3 top of the seventh, the Warhawks rallied with two outs in the bottom half with two consecutive extra-base hits by Blaser and Garcia Jr. to left field and Jack Clark delivered an RBI base hit up the middle to even the score, 2-2. EIU escaped a bases loaded jam and the score was even heading to the eighth. With two outs in the eighth, Panthers left fielder Brett Stanley singled to left. Following a walk and a hit by pitch, Ethan Rossi drove in the go-ahead run with ULM's second hit by pitch of the inning. EIU tacked on three more runs after another hit by pitch and a two-RBI single by Zakary Goodwin and led 6-2 after seven-and-a-half innings of play. ULM went down in order in the bottom of the eighth. Josh Gregoire pitched a scoreless frame in the ninth, working around a two-out hit. The Panthers shut the door in the ninth and kept the Warhawks off base and salvaged a game three win.
 
Garcia Jr. finished 2-for-5 with a triple and an RBI while Lunsford also picked up two hits and a double. Clark drove in one on a knock up the middle and Blaser reached twice with a double and a walk. Cirelli was given a no decision after five innings of work and surrendered two earned runs to go along with four strikeouts. Robinson was charged with the loss while Gregoire struck out three batters in 1.1 innings pitched.
 
The Warhawks are scheduled to play versus Grambling State at The Lou on Tuesday (Feb. 18) at 6 p.m.