MONROE, La. – The ULM baseball team forced extra innings after trailing by five runs but ultimately fell in the rubber match to Old Dominion, 9-6, on Sunday (April 27) afternoon at Lou St. Amant Field.
 
The Warhawks (21-23, 7-14 Sun Belt) scored five unanswered runs and evened the score on an RBI groundout by Henry Garcia Jr. in the ninth inning and had the winning run at third base with two outs before ODU escaped with the final out of the inning. The Monarchs (15-25, 10-11 Sun Belt) pulled away in the top of the 10^th inning by scoring a trio of runs with two outs.
 
ODU compiled a total of 16 hits and five extra-base hits while ULM totaled 10 hits and four doubles. Both teams had numerous opportunities to capitalize with runners in scoring position and hit below .200 with runners in scoring position. The Monarchs stranded 12 runners on base while ULM left 11 men on base.
 
ODU's Zach Leite hit a sharp ground ball and was thrown out at first but allowed Brody Connors to score the game's first run. With two outs and Luke Waters on second base, Maverick Stallings hit a slicing grounder inside the first base line that forced Michelle Artzberger to make a sliding stop to keep it on the infield. Waters wheeled around third and slid in safely ahead of the tag at the plate to complete a two-run first inning for the Monarchs. The first two Warhawks reached base in the bottom of the first after Isaiah Walker walked and Kade Dupont singled before Blake Morgan ended the inning by inducing a double play. ULM starter Joey Cirelli navigated around a leadoff walk in the second inning and wrapped up the inning by throwing his first strikeout of the day as the Monarchs stranded a runner in scoring position. After a scoreless bottom of the second, ODU pushed another run across the plate in the third when Leite blasted a double in the gap that led to Waters scoring from first. Tony Lindwedel doubled for the third time of the weekend with one out in the bottom of the third. Kade Dupont curled a firm ground ball inside the third base bag for a two-out double that scored Lindwedel for ULM's first run of the game.
 
Kainen Jorge increased ODU's lead back to three runs with a sacrifice fly in the fourth inning. Landon Grigg pitched out of the inning by firing ULM's second strikeout of the day. Following Morgan's second 1-2-3 inning of the day, Stallings belted ODU's second home run of the series and the Monarchs' lead ballooned to five runs. Two Monarchs reached base with one out before Josh Gregoire recorded the final two outs of the inning out of the bullpen to keep ULM's deficit at five. Jake Haggard hit his third double of the season to begin the fifth for the Warhawks. After a Major Brignon walk and a Lindwedel sacrifice bunt that moved both runners, Walker singled home Haggard and Brignon and cut ODU's lead in half. With two outs, Walker stole his 20^th base of the season to move into scoring position prior to Morgan registered the final out of the fifth inning, preserving the 6-3 cushion. Two ODU batters reached with two outs on a hit and a walk versus Gregoire, but the ULM reliever induced a popup to strand the two runners. Henry Garcia Jr. reached on an error as ULM's lone base runner in the sixth.
 
Gregorie sat the Monarchs down in order as the game moved to the bottom of the seventh inning. Brignon and Walker both singled in the ULM seventh frame and Dupont was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Bryce Blaser drove in his 23^rd RBI of the season on a sacrifice fly that plated Brignon to bring the Warhawks within two. Adam Tubbs was called on in relief in the top of the eighth inning with runners at the corners and two outs and got a comebacker to the mound, keeping the home team's deficit at two runs. Artzberger lined a double down the line with two strikes at the start of the ULM eighth inning. With two outs, Brignon again came up with a big hit to score Artzberger and closed the gap to one run. The Monarchs threatened with a runner in scoring position with two outs before Brandon Brewer erased ODU's scoring chance with a ground out. A Walker walk and a Dupont hit by pitch put the tying and winning runs on base to start the ULM ninth inning. After Blaser moved both runners with a sacrifice bunt, Garcia Jr. tied the game by scoring Walker on an RBI groundout. The Warhawks had the winning run standing on third base with two outs, but the ODU bullpen prevented ULM from achieving the walk-off win and sent the game into extra innings.
 
With a runner on first and two outs, Leite split the right-center field gap for his second double of the day on a 3-2 pitch that allowed the go-ahead run to score from first base. The next batter, Stallings, lifted his second home run of the afternoon to left field and increased the Monarchs' advantage to three runs. ULM brought the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the 10^th after Brignon walked and Walker singled. The Monarchs ended ULM's hopes of extending the game with a strikeout and secured the series with a 9-6 win in extra innings.
 
Walker led the way at the plate with three hits for ULM and drove in two runs. Dupont and Brignon both swung for two hits with Brignon reaching base four times with a pair of walks. Artzberger, Haggard and Lindwedel all finished with one double each.
 
Gregoire matched his season high with 3.1 innings pitched and did not allow a run while striking out four batters. Cirelli completed three innings and struck out one while Grigg pitched 1.1 innings out of the bullpen with both pitchers allowing three runs each. Tubbs totaled a scoreless inning while Brewer was charged with the loss after giving up three runs in the extra inning.
 
The Warhawks will wrap up their homestand on Tuesday (April 29) night by finishing the season series versus Northwestern State with first pitch set for 6 p.m.