Justin Stawychny’s three-run homer in the first inning set the tone for the night as ULM cruised to a 9-0 victory in its home opener against Wake Forest.
“We came out with a lot of energy,” head coach Jeff Schexnaider said. “When you come out and play as hard as they did today it excites me.”
Several mistakes by the Demon Deacons (1-1) put two runners in scoring position, setting the stage for the Warhawks (1-0). A lead-off error put Dalton Harrington on base and Judd Edwards was hit by a pitch, setting the stage for Stawychny.
The sophomore sent the first pitch he saw over the left field wall.
“It was awesome, the adrenaline was pumping,” Stawychny said. “It’s always good to get that first hit out of the way.”
Stawychny went on to go three for four on the night, just a triple away from hitting through the cycle.
“I didn’t really think about it until I was coming up to bat. I haven’t been that close in a while,” Stawychny said.
Starting pitcher Cale Wine had a strong outing for ULM, going six innings and striking out five batters.
The senior threw 99 pitches without surrendering a single walk.
“I was excited to get back out there. To come out here and throw a shutout while scoring nine runs is pretty nice,” Wine said.
Alex Dumaine and Tyler Bray closed the game out in relief for the Warhawks, combining for four strikeouts and zero hits during two innings of work.
“Cale did an outstanding job in his first performance of the season and we played great defense behind him,” Schexnaider said. “Wake Forest made some mistakes tonight and we were able to capitalize on those. That was the difference in the ballgame.”
ULM put up three more runs in the bottom of the third inning. A line-drive RBI single by left fielder Chris Dudley gave the Warhawks a 4-0 lead.
An error and a failed pickup attempt by Wake Forest brought two more runs across, putting ULM up 6-0.
The Warhawks scored two more runs in the fourth inning, with their final run coming in the ninth.
Opening night attendance at Warhawk Field was listed at 1,481.
ULM travels to Huntsville, TX for a three-game series against Sam Houston State on Feb. 22. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
