Looking to close off a five-game home stand on a good note, the ULM baseball team took on Northwestern State after a series loss against Appalachian State. On April 8, the Warhawks snapped their losing streak with a 6-5 extra innings win over NSU.

The Warhawks historically have not performed well against NSU, with their record against them being 23-38 since 2001. With the win on Tuesday, ULM extends its winning streak versus NSU to 3 games.

Freshman Brennan Eager came out hot, striking out two of the first four batters in the first inning. NSU struck first in the third inning with three hits and one run scored. NSU also left two runners on base—a trend that would persist throughout the game.

The Warhawks’ offense ignited in the fourth inning with Isaiah Walker securing his first home run of the game to right field, coming in just short of 342 feet. The next two batters for ULM were retired, but with Henry Garcia Jr. and Michelle Artzberger walking, Kade Dupont capitalized on the runner in scoring position by singling to left field and scoring Garcia Jr.

In the top of the sixth inning, NSU took back the lead with a home run by Daniel Burroway that scored two runs after Braden Benton singled to lead off the inning. They went on to extend their lead in the eighth inning to 5-2 after a series of hits and walks. ULM countered with a run of their own in the eighth, and Walker’s dominance continued with his second homer of the game measuring in at 392 feet.

In the bottom of the ninth, ULM found itself looking at a 3-5 deficit and needing someone to step up. In a series of walks and errors, Jake Haggard singled to right-center field and put two runners in scoring position. Colby Lunsford went on to hit a ground ball that scored a runner and advanced a runner to third. In ULM’s last chance to tie the game, Major Brignon hit a single to right field, tying the game at 5-5.

NSU could not generate any offense in extra innings, allowing ULM to win the game after Bryce Blaser hit his second double of the game. Garcia Jr. went on to hit a walk-off single to right field, closing out the game.

ULM’s pitching played a major part in their win, with 14 strikeouts among the five pitchers. This performance put ULM’s pitching depth on display and showed how they can hang with anyone they face.