LAFAYETTE, La. – A three-run homer hit by Davis Mauzy proved to be the turning point for ULM baseball (15-12, 5-2 Sun Belt) in a 5-3 win over the Ragin' Cajuns (17-9, 2-5 Sun Belt) Friday evening.
 
Adam Brodnax collected his second win of the season with a stat line of 5.2 innings pitched with five hits and three earned runs allowed with four strikeouts on 83 pitches thrown. Holden Hess entered for the save in the ninth, his third of the season.
 
Micah Dean lined a double into left field with one out and advanced to third base on a missed throw to present a threat early, but two straight strikeouts ended the top half of the first. Adam Brodnax started the bottom frame with two strikeouts before a great catch from Dayne Wray ended the inning with no score.
 
The Warhawks again put a runner at third as Marcus Aranda lined a double before Kade Dupont moved him over with a base hit. A bunt right to the charging first baseman resulted in a throw-out at home and kept ULM at zero. After a scoreless bottom of the second, the away team again threatened, this time with the bases loaded, but no one came home, and the game remained tied.
 
The Cajuns broke the stalemate with a ground ball, allowing a runner from third to score, making the score 1-0 after three. A two-run homer from Steven Spalitta increased the home team's lead to three runs at the bottom of the fourth.
 
With runners at second and third with one out at the top of the fifth, a strikeout that got away from the catcher allowed Dean to score, putting ULM on the board and making the score 3-1. With two runners on and one out, Garrett Wiethorn lined a single to center field to score Dupont from second, making it a 3-2 game.
 
At the next at-bat after a pitching change, Mauzy powered a home run to left field, putting three more on the board and giving the Warhawks the two-run lead. The homer is Mauzy's second of the season.
 
A walk to the Cajuns was all the action in the seventh and eighth innings as ULM held onto the 5-3 lead. After nothing in the top frame of the ninth, A strikeout followed by two straight walks put the tying run at first for the Cajuns, but two straight strikeouts by Hess ended the threat and secured the game one victory.
 
Dean led the team in hits with three, while Bryce Blaser and Dupont also collected multi-hit performances. Mauzy's homer gave him a team-leading three RBI on the night.
 
The Warhawks are back for game two in Lafayette tomorrow afternoon, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m.