After losing the series against the Ragin’ Cajuns, ULM baseball showed its resilience by opening the series against Texas State with a 7-5 win. Four Warhawks tallied two or more hits, and runs from six different players paved the way for ULM (16-17; 4-9 Sun Belt Conference) to mount a comeback in the sixth inning.
Freshman Easton Winfield opened the scoring for ULM with his team-best eighth home run of the season.
Across the next two innings, the Bobcats (17-18; 5-8 SBC) tallied four runs, including a 3-run homer in the third. Throwing errors and wild pitches moved the Warhawks around the diamond. Blaser’s grounded ball allowed Kade Dupont to score, digging ULM out of its hole.
Neither team scored runs in the fourth and fifth innings, but ULM’s pitching provided a buffer to limit Texas State’s lead. Pitcher Cam Barlow led with four strikeouts during the game, and teammates Brandon Brewer and Carson Orton each picked up three.
A trio of quick outs from ULM pitchers kept Texas State’s lead at 4-2 after the top of the sixth. The Warhawks heated up at the bat and quickly dismantled the Bobcats’ lead. Outfielder Ian Montz picked up his first multi-hit game with a double that saw Jake Haggard advance to third. A wild pitch by Texas State rotated the diamond, giving the Warhawks an effortless run. A challenge by Texas State aimed to overturn the wild pitch, but the call stood.
The Warhawks kept their momentum and continued to score. A sacrifice bunt by Hasani Johnson allowed Montz to cross home plate and tie the game. Matt Abshire reached second on the bunt but stole third after a throwing error.
After a change in pitchers for the Bobcats, Winfield singled the ball down the foul line for Abshire to score, taking the lead 5-4.
Texas State continued to come up dry at the top of the seventh, only recording one hit. Blaser started ULM’s at-bats on a positive note with a double down the foul line. Infielder Colby Lunsford singled while Blaser advanced to third. A strikeout by Montz brought up two outs for ULM with two left on base. Abshire landed an RBI, bringing Blaser to home plate, but a fly ball left two on base for ULM.
ULM and Texas State picked up a run each in the eighth inning, bringing the score to 7-5 in favor of the Warhawks. ULM’s pitching left little hope for the Bobcats, as the only advancement came from a pitch contacting a Texas State player. Cade Manning struck out looking, giving ULM its fourth conference win of the season.