SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — The ULM baseball team (5-3) erased a four-run deficit in the ninth inning and rallied back to defeat Missouri State (2-6) 9-8 in the opening game of the three-game series on Friday (Feb. 28) at Hammons Field.
Colby Lunsford, Isaiah Walker, Bryce Blaser, Henry Garcia Jr., and Jackson Landry all hit home RBIs as part of a seven-run ninth inning for the Warhawks.
The ULM offense registered 11 base hits, with five in the final inning. Five Warhawks had two hits apiece with Landry belting two home runs and Lunsford blasting a pair of triples. Walker, Blaser and Garcia Jr. each had one double.
On the mound, Adam Tubbs earned the win after completing one inning of work. Brandon Brewer recorded his first save of the season and tallied a pair of strikeouts. The Warhawks tallied eight strikeouts on the bump.
Lunsford belted an 0-2 pitch over the center fielder’s head for a leadoff triple in the first at-bat of the game. Isaiah Walker scored Lunsford on a sac fly to right to give ULM an early lead. Missouri State’s Taeg Gollert hit a solo home run over the center field wall to tie the game. ULM starting pitcher Ashton Bassett forced the Bears to ground into an inning-ending double play to end the first inning.
Garcia Jr. doubled and Michelle Artzberger followed with a single to start the top of the second. ULM was unable to cash in and Missouri State held the Warhawks scoreless after three-straight outs. Bassett recorded a pair of lineouts and a flyout in a scoreless second frame. Walker doubled with one out down the left field line for ULM’s lone hit in a scoreless third. With two outs, the Bears had runners at first and second. Bassett recorded his first punchout of the afternoon to keep the Bears off the scoreboard, and the game remained tied, 1-1, after three innings.
The Bears committed an error and surrendered a walk with two outs in the top of the fourth inning before recording an inning-ending strikeout. Curry Sutherland hit the Bears’ second solo home run to lead off the bottom of the fourth, giving Missouri State a 2-1 lead. Two more Bears reached base, but ULM catcher Tony Lindwedel caught Missouri State’s Max Knight attempting to steal third to complete the fourth inning.
Walker poked his second hit of the game in the top of the fifth and Blaser walked to put two runners on for ULM. The Bears maintained their lead after a fielder’s choice ended the top half of the fifth. Zach Shaw entered the game for the Warhawks on the mound in the bottom of the fifth and tossed a 1-2-3 inning.
Freshman designated hitter Jackson Landry drilled a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall for his first career home run and tied the game 2-2 in the sixth inning. Shaw sat the Bears down in order in the sixth and the game was tied heading to the seventh frame.
Jake Haggard drew a walk with two outs for the Warhawks’ lone base runner of the seventh. After a Missouri State single and walk, Caden Bogenpohl scored catcher Carter Bergman and the Bears retook the lead. Missouri State added two more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning and held a 6-2 lead heading to the ninth.
Jacob Billings pinch-hit for the Warhawks to start the ninth and drew a walk after working a full count. Jack Clark followed with another pinch-hit walk and ULM advanced both runners into scoring position on a Missouri State wild pitch. On a 3-2 pitch, Lunsford roped his second triple of the game and cleared the bases to bring ULM within two runs. Walker scored Lunsford on an RBI groundout and ULM whittled Missouri State’s lead to one run.
After Haggard took a four-pitch walk, Bryce Blaser tied the game and scored pinch-runner Ben Coke on a double and an error to even the score, 6-6. Garcia Jr. drove home Blaser on a base hit up the middle to give the Warhawks their first lead since the top of the first inning.
After Garcia Jr. stole second, Artzberger singled before Garcia Jr. was cut down at the plate for the second out of the inning. On a 2-2 pitch Landry hammered his second home run of the day to expand the ULM lead to three runs heading to the bottom of the ninth. Adam Tubbs recorded the first out of the ninth on a strikeout before handing the baseball off to Brandon Brewer. After Brewer struck out another Bear, Jake McCutcheon launched a two-run home run that closed ULM’s lead to one run.
Brewer finished the game by striking out his second Missouri State batter and preserved the save with ULM completing the comeback, 9-8.
Game two of the series between ULM and Missouri State is set for tomorrow (March 1) at 2 p.m. from Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo.
