Bases loaded for the Warhawks with two outs. Junior outfielder Lourdes Bacon steps up to the plate looking to slash the 4-1 deficit against the LSU Tigers. Bacon takes the first two pitches for a ball and then ropes the next pitch back through the middle. Two runs come home as the crowd stands to their feet. 

This snapshot depicted the scene when Bacon tallied the only RBIs for the Warhawks on Wednesday when they took on No. 15 LSU at home. The Monroe community came out in droves to support ULM, breaking an attendance record with 1,244 people in the crowd. 

“Last night’s atmosphere was incredible,” ULM head coach Molly Fichtner said. “It has been so much fun watching this sport grow over the years. When Lou hit that single to put us within one run, I’ve never heard a crowd that loud since being in the World Series. It was electric.”

LSU struck first in the top of the first inning with a perfectly executed squeeze bunt. Later in the top of the second, the Tigers tacked on three more when junior Danieca Coffey laced a three-run home run over the outfield wall. 

But ULM wasn’t out for the count. In the bottom of the second inning, senior Kennedy Johnson got on base with a single up the middle. The Warhawks then took advantage of three walks in the inning to score one run when Bacon capped it off with a 2-RBI single to centerfield. 

Both teams made quick work of the third inning, but Tiger Georgia Clark hit the backside of the fence with the team’s second three-run home run of the game to put LSU up 7-3 in the top of the fourth. ULM couldn’t find its way back after that, with an error in the top of the seventh bringing two more runs across the plate for LSU to make the score 9-3.

The Warhawks fought hard in front of a home crowd that was ready to support them, but when you host the No. 15 team in the country, you look to capitalize off mistakes, and LSU just didn’t make enough on Wednesday. 

Three pitchers played in the circle for ULM, with sophomore Gianni Hulett getting the start and pitching for 1.1 innings, senior Adrianna Chavarria coming in next and pitching 1.2 innings and sophomore Victoria Abrams finishing it out and pitching four innings. Altogether they allowed 10 hits, seven earned runs, nine walks and fanned five Tigers. 

ULM will be back in action this Wednesday at home against Abilene Christian at 6 p.m.