ULM routs Georgia Southern

STATESBORO, Ga. – ULM picked up an 11-1 run-rule victory over Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt series finale on Sunday afternoon at J.I. Clement Stadium.

ULM (21-23, 8-13 SBC) scored the game’s first run as Justin Stawychny drove in Kodie Tidwell on a fielder’s choice RBI to put the Warhawks ahead, 1-0. After starting pitcher Keegan Curtis worked out of a bases- loaded jam with back-to-back strikeouts, the Warhawks went back on the offensive in the top of the second inning.

With one out, the Warhawks put runners on the corners as Nathan Pugh drew a walk and moved to third when Jacob Stockton reached on a fielding error by Eagle second baseman Jordan Howard. Stockton then stole second and moved to third as Pugh scored on the second error of the game by Howard to put ULM ahead, 2-0. The Warhawks went up 3-0 as Stockton was able to race home on a passed ball.

ULM pushed its lead to 4-0 over Georgia Southern (26-18, 16-8) as Danny Springer and Spencer Hemphill (RBI) tallied back-to-back doubles with two outs in the third inning.

After two scoreless innings the Warhawks broke through with five two-out runs in the sixth inning to push their lead to 9-0. ULM loaded the bases with two outs via walks by Dalton Todd, Tidwell and Keelin Rasch. Todd scored on a balk and then Stawychny drove in a pair with a two-RBI triple to right field. Stawychny scored on an RBI single by Springer and later in the frame Springer scored when Pugh reached on a two-base error to put ULM ahead by nine runs.

Georgia Southern scored its lone run of the game in the bottom of the sixth as Chase Griffin scored on a 6-4-3 double play.

ULM pushed the advantage to 10 runs in the top of the seventh as Justin Stawychny tallied RBI numbers four and five of the afternoon with a double down the left-field line to score Todd and Tidwell.

The Eagles record three straight fly outs to center in the seventh to conclude the shortened, run-ruled contest.

Curtis earned the win for the Warhawks and improved to 3-0 as he allowed one earned run on four hits and two walks with four punchouts in six innings. Logan Dopson closed out the game for ULM tossing a scoreless seventh inning.

Stawychny led ULM with two hits, five RBIs (tied career-high) and one run scored; the senior’s five RBIs are the most in a game for ULM since Chet Simoneaux and Anthony Herrera had six and five RBI, respectively, against Texas State on Apr. 12, 2014. Springer, meanwhile, added three hits, two runs and one RBI, while Tidwell and Todd each walked three times on Sunday and scored three and two runs, respectively.

Georgia Southern starter Connor Simmons was tagged with the loss after allowing three total runs (one earned) on one hit and three walks with one strikeout in 1 1/3 innings. In all, the Eagles used eight pitchers on Sunday.