MONROE, La. -- The ULM baseball team (4-2) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first four innings, but Houston Christian (4-2) scored a pair of runs in innings five, six and seven to take game two on Saturday (Feb. 22) afternoon at Lou St. Amant Field in Monroe, La.
ULM starting pitcher
Landon Grigg escaped out of a two baserunner jam in the top of the first inning and sat a Husky down on a strikeout. The Warhawks wasted no time grabbing the lead as
Colby Lunsford launched a solo home run that traveled 371 feet over the left field wall.
Isaiah Walker was plunked by a pitch and
Bryce Blaser singled with two outs, but the Huskies held ULM to one run in the first. Both teams were retired in order in innings two and three.
Jake Haggard led off the bottom of the fourth inning reaching on a HCU error. After a groundout,
Henry Garcia Jr. singled to put runners on the corners for ULM and then proceeded to steal second base.
Jackson Landry scored Haggard on an RBI groundout and
Tony Lindwedel delivered a two-out RBI knock that scored Garcia Jr. to put ULM ahead, 3-0. HCU's Matthew Leiterman doubled down the left field line to lead off the fifth. After a flyout and a sacrifice bunt, the Huskies scored an unearned run after a throwing error by ULM. HCU capitalized on the ULM error for an additional unearned run as Kenneth Dutka smoked a triple down the right field line to diminish ULM's lead to one run. After ULM was sat down in order in the bottom of the fifth, HCU's Katcher Halligan put his team in front with a two-run homer to right field. Blaser singled and Landry was hit by a pitch in the home half of the sixth, but the Huskies stayed in front, 4-3.
Brandon Brewer was charged two unearned runs after HCU's Jack Walker cashed in on a two-out, two-RBI base hit to right that expanded the Houston Christian lead, 6-3. HCU's Louis Castano shut the door and tossed a trio of 1-2-3 innings to secure game two for Houston Christian.
Just three of the game's nine runs were charged as earned runs with ULM making a pair of errors in the field and HCU committing one. Grigg completed 5.1 innings and struck out five but surrendered the loss. Brewer did not allow an earned run and struck out four in 3.2 innings completed. ULM's offense produced five hits with Blaser picking up a pair of hits in four at bats. Lunsford, Garcia Jr. and Lindwedel all added hits for the Warhawks while Lunsford, Lindwedel and Landry all drove in one run apiece.
ULM's series finale versus Houston Christian is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch tomorrow afternoon at The Lou.
