RUSTON, La. – Louisiana Tech answered an early ULM lead and eventually came out on top, 14-4, on Wednesday night at J.C. Love Field.
The Bulldogs (28-14) made their defining push in the bottom of the fifth. All three of their previous runs had come via the long ball, but two perfectly-placed bunt singles on the third-base line, two walks and a sacrifice fly did most of the damage. Jonathan and Jordan Washam also singled and doubled, respectively, in the inning.
Nathan Pugh lined a double down the right field line and Jacob Stockton followed up with the same result in front of the Bulldogs' diving left fielder, giving ULM (17-29) a 1-0 lead.
Chase Lunceford went deep to right-center field in the bottom half of the frame to give the home team a 2-1 advantage.
Louisiana Tech went up 3-1 in the fourth when Jonathan Washam lifted a homer to straightaway left field. A couple of walks came with two outs, but Spencer Hemphill caught a foul tip and still managed to catch a runner trying to steal third.
The ninth inning saw Will Daniels send out a pinch-hit, three-run homer that arched high over the left field foul pole.
Brandon Bell (2-5) went four innings and took the loss in his 10th start of the year. Braden Bristo improved to 4-5 after 5 1/3 innings as the starting pitcher.
Diamond Notes…
-Jacob Stockton is 9-for-19 (.474) over his five-game hitting streak. He has reached base in nine consecutive contests.
-Keller Bradford made his 29th appearance, putting him in sole possession of fifth place in ULM's single-season record book.
-Chance DeFriend picked up his first collegiate hit on a ninth-inning single to right field.
-Will Daniels' homer was his second of the year, and was ULM's first in a PH spot since Justin Stawychny at Little Rock (March 29, 2013).
-ULM sent seven pinch-hitters to the plate in the ninth with five of those collecting hits.
Up Next…
The Warhawks continue their five-game, six-day stretch Friday with a 6 p.m. game at Troy.
For updates on the baseball squad, be sure to follow the team on Twitter @ULM_BSB, Facebook (www.facebook.com/ULMBaseball) and Instagram (@ULM_BSB).
