All it took was some in-state competition for ULM to snap a nine-game losing streak. Although the skid is over, the Warhawks have some catching up to do as they sit at 3-10.

The reasoning behind this skid—inconsistency in pitching with pitchers not named Cam Barlow. 

Their first match came last Wednesday against the Northwestern State Demons at Warhawk Field.

After numerous reschedulings, two teams were finally slated to face off last Tuesday and Wednesday for a mid-week series, but Tuesday’s game was canceled due to the weather.

The game would be 1-0 through four innings with the only run being scored in the second inning in an RBI groundout by Carson Jones.

The Warhawks broke the game open in the fifth inning with Landon Cato hitting a three-run homer down the left field line, extending the ULM lead to 4-0. 

“I was just starting to see the ball well recently” Cato said, who is playing in his second year. “Finally I’m seeing it and seeing it at the right time.”

The Warhawks never looked back as they captured an all-important 6-2 victory over the Demons.

Cato ended the game with three hits and three RBI with the home run.

Cole Cressend earned the win for ULM, throwing three hitless innings with two strikeouts and one walk. With the win, ULM broke its losing streak.

Last Friday, the Warhawks took on Nicholls State in Thibodaux. The game started hot for the Warhawks as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead through five innings. This included an RBI on a sac-fly by Caleb Sterling, which scored Trace Henry in the second inning. In the third inning, the Warhawks scored six runs, including another three-run homer from Cato. 

Meanwhile, Barlow was pitching five shutout innings before a shaky start to the six, at which point head coach Michael Federico pulled him out of the game. 

“Some of those innings are hard when you’re a pitcher and you’re sitting in the dugout for a long time,” Federico said. “We were trying to stretch him out a little bit.”

The ULM bullpen proceeded to allow two more runs, making the game 9-5. However, despite a three-run inning by Nicholls, ULM would hang on the win 10-8. Barlow earned his first win of the season, making his record 1-1. Cato had a multi-homer game hitting two home runs. 

In the second game versus Nicholls on Saturday, the Warhawks fell behind early with a two-run inning by Nicholls State in the first. The Colonels scored a run in each of the next three innings. 

By the sixth inning, the game was 5-0 in favor of the Colonels.

Nicholls state pitcher Tyler Theriot carried a no-hitter through six innings.

“Theriot was good,” Federico said. “I felt good with our match-ups with the righties. His changeup was absolutely dominating us for some reason.” 

The Warhawks scored a pair of runs between the seventh and eighth innings in an attempted rally. But it wasn’t enough, and the Colonels closed it out 5-2.