HOUSTON, Texas – The ULM softball team (1-3) split the series on Saturday (Feb. 8), claiming a 6-5 win at HCU and a 13-10 loss against Houston. Both games were decided by rallies coming in the sixth and seventh innings.
Game One: ULM 6, Houston Christian 5
The Warhawks got off to an early lead, with a single from
Maryssa Zenzen sending
Maddie Nichols to home plate in the second inning. In the top of the third, a sacrifice fly by
Meagan Brown got
Brooklin Lippert scoring ULM's second run, holding on to a 2-0 lead over HCU.
In the third inning, the Huskies scored two runs in the bottom of the third, tying it up 2-2. A single, a stolen base and a wild pitch for
Elle Carter got Lippert to home plate for the lead in the fifth. Carter then scored on Nichols' single, giving the Warhawks the 4-2 advantage. A double for the Huskies in the fifth inning gave HCU the tying runs, sending the game to the sixth all tied up.
Back-to-back hits for Houston Christian gave the Huskies a 5-4 lead in the sixth inning. A few more Warhawk singles gave ULM the 6-5 advantage in the top of the seventh, the rally becoming possible. Pitcher
Dakota Lake was able to strike out a Husky and secured the first win of the season for ULM, 6-5.
Zenzen closed the afternoon leading the team with three hits and an RBI. Lippert, Carter and Nichols each tallied a pair of hits, with Carter claiming a double. Both Carter and Lippert also scored a pair of runs apiece. Nichols closed out the afternoon leading the team with two RBIs. Lake was credited with the win in the pitching circle, claiming her first career win, allowing no walks and one run.
Game Two: Houston 13, ULM 10
The Cougars picked up the 2-0 lead in the first inning, a two-run home run opening up the scoring. But Houston was not ahead for long, as
Maryssa Zenzen picked up an RBI and a
Layla Thompson single led to an error allowing the tying run. The lead changed quickly in the early innings, with Houston tacking on three runs in the bottom of the second, making it a 5-2 lead for the Cougars.
A four-run third inning for the Warhawks changed the lead yet again, with
Meagan Brown and
Maddie Nichols scoring back-to-back home runs.
Hollie Thomas picked up an RBI and Zenzen scored on a wild pitch to conclude the inning. Two more runs were tacked on in the fourth inning for ULM, as
Morgan Brown had a two-RBI double to make it 8-5.
The Warhawks held onto the lead until the sixth inning, where a whopping eight-run inning gave the Cougars the 13-8 lead. Zenzen battled in the seventh with a two-run home run to close the gap, ending the game 13-10 in favor of Houston.
Three home runs were hit for the Warhawks, occurring for the first time since 2019.
Morgan Brown and Zenzen picked up three hits apiece to lead the team, Zenzen also scoring two runs and posting three RBIs. Brown picked up three runs and two RBIs. Nichols scored two runs and hit her first career home run. Both Lippert and Thomas had two hits, with Thomas tallying her career-first double. Nichols is credited with the loss, allowing two hits and three runs in an inning.
The Warhawks will conclude play in the Houston Classic on Sunday (Feb. 9) with a Sunday afternoon game against the Houston Cougars. First pitch in Houston is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. Sunday's game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
