SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The ULM baseball team (5-5) trailed by as many as eight runs and whittled Missouri State's (4-6) lead to just one run in the eighth inning, but fell in the series finale to the Bears, 11-9, on Sunday (March 2) afternoon at Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo.

Missouri State pounced on the lead early after shutting the Warhawks down in the top of the first inning. Caden Bogenpohl hit a leadoff home run and Jake McCutcheon hit a two-run shot and Carter Bergman hit a solo home run as part of three home runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Warhawks got on the scoreboard in the top of the second inning following a Bryce Blaser single and a Henry Garcia Jr. RBI double to left center. The Bears answered with a run in the bottom of the second with a Taeg Gollert sacrifice fly that scored Logan Dunn. With two outs in the top of the third, the Warhawks rallied with two outs for a run when Colby Lunsford smashed a triple and Jake Haggard drove him in on an RBI base hit to make the score 5-2 Missouri State. ULM starting pitcher Joey Cirelli settled in and retired the Bears in order to complete three innings.

After ULM was sat down in order for the top of the fourth, Cirelli tossed a scoreless fourth inning after recording the final two outs on strikeouts to keep Missouri State's lead to three. With the bases loaded and one out, Missouri State third baseman Dylan Robertson delivered a grand slam that increased Missouri State's lead to seven runs. Later that inning, shortstop Tyler Epstein singled home Dunn and pushed the Bears' cushion to eight runs after five innings. Garcia Jr. singled home Lunsford with two outs in the sixth to start ULM's rally in the late innings. Brandon Brewer sent the Bears down in order in the sixth inning and the home team held a 10-3 lead through six.

Jack Clark and Kade Dupont reached on a hit by pitch and a walk respectively in the top of the seventh on pinch hit appearances. With two on and two out, Lunsford cracked his second extra-base hit of the game with a three-run home run that brought ULM within four runs. Adam Tubbs tossed a scoreless seventh frame and ULM remained within four runs of the Bears' lead. Blaser began the top of the eighth with a double and Garcia Jr. followed with a walk. Michelle Artzberger launched his first home run of the season that scored both runners and ULM closed the gap to just one run after seven unanswered runs. The Bears scratched across an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning with an RBI groundout by Gollert. Isaiah Walker walked to lead off the ninth inning and the Warhawks brought the tying run to the plate with no one out. Missouri State's Garrett Ferguson secured the final three outs of the game and earned the save for the victorious Bears.

Four Warhawks registered multi-hit games and two had multi-RBI games, led by Lunsford with two extra-base hits and three RBI, three runs scored and a walk. Garcia Jr., had two RBI base hits and also reached on a walk in addition to scoring a run. Haggard and Blaser also recorded a pair of hits after Haggard finished with an RBI single and Blaser scored a pair of runs. On the mound, Cirelli was charged with the loss after throwing 4.1 innings and allowing six earned runs and striking out five. Brewer and Josh Gregoire did not surrender a run while Tubbs struck out a pair of batters as part of the 10 total strikeouts from the ULM pitching staff.

ULM continues its road trip on Tuesday (March 4) and will start a two-game midweek series versus nationally-ranked Arkansas at Baum-Walker Stadium in Fayetteville.