Games 31-33: Troy (21-8-1, 2-0-1 Sun Belt) vs. ULM (18-12, 2-1 Sun Belt)
Friday March 24 | 13:00
Saturday March 25 | 2:00 p.m.
Sunday March 26 | 12:00
ULM Softball Complex (500) | Monroe, Louisiana
All games broadcast live on ESPN+
2023 ULM Softball Series Notes vs. Troy
SETTING THE SCENE
• Friday’s game marks the 52nd meeting between ULM and Troy. The Trojans lead the all-time series, 33-18, including a 13-7 record in games played in Monroe, Louisiana. Troy has won six of the last seven meetings in the series. Last season, the Warhawks won the first game of the series on the road, 1-0, but the Trojans captured the next two games, 9-1 and 6-4, to claim the series, 2-1. ULM’s last Sun Belt Conference series win over Troy came on the road in 2017, 2-1.
• The ULM softball team opened their 2023 Sun Belt Conference schedule with a road series win at Georgia Southern, 2-1.
The Warhawks clinched the series win with a doubleheader sweep in Statesboro last Friday. In Game 1, ULM got all the offense he needed in a six-run second inning and Gianni Hulett he pitched 2 2/3 shutout innings in relief for a 6-3 win over the Eagles in the conference opener. Three Warhawk launchers – kassidy giddens, Adriana Chavarria and Hulett, combined for a four-hit shutout as ULM took Game 2, 2-0.
Georgia Southern avoided the series sweep as morgan kendrick he scattered five hits in seven innings and Janai Conklin snapped a 1-1 tie with a two-run double in the fifth as the Eagles cruised to a 3-1 victory last Saturday.
• Three Warhawks are hitting over .290, led by kennedy johnson (.349; 30-for-86, 22 runs scored, 12 RBI), followed by lourdes bacon (.337; 34-for-101, 12 runs scored, 10 RBIs) and ashlan ard (.293; 22-for-75, 4 home runs, 19 RBIs).
• kennedy johnson he leads the Warhawks in four offensive categories: batting average (.349), runs scored (22), total bases (42), and on-base percentage (.398). Johnson also ranks second on the team in hits (30) and slugging percentage (.488). She has recorded eight multi-hit games.
• As a team, ULM leads the Sun Belt and ranks 11th in NCAA Division I with a .979 fielding percentage.
STARTING BLOWS
• lourdes bacon leads the MUL in hits (34), multi-hit games (9) and stolen bases (16). Additionally, Bacon ranks second on the team in batting average (.337), runs scored (12), and on-base percentage (.380). The junior from San Antonio, Texas, ranks among the Sun Belt Conference leaders in stolen bases (third) and hits (ninth). Bacon also ranks among the NCAA Division I leaders in both categories: 28 in steals and 88 in hits. Earlier this season, he posted a team-best nine-game hitting streak (which ended March 4 in Game 1 of the doubleheader at Nicholls).
• ashlan ard he leads the team in home runs (4), RBIs (19) and slugging percentage (.533).
In the Sun Belt Conference series opener at Georgia Southern, Ard had a .400 batting average (4-for-10), an .800 slugging percentage (two singles, a double, and a home run for 8 total bases), and a .455 in -basic percentage.
Ard, who hit safely in each of the three games, went 1 for 4 in ULM’s 6-3 win over Georgia Southern in Game 1 of last Friday’s doubleheader and recorded his fifth game of multiples. hits of the season in Game 2, going 2-for-4 with an RBI single in ULM’s 2-0 win over the Eagles.
He went 1-for-2 in the series finale against Georgia Southern, including a solo home run to left-center field that tied the score at 1-1 in the fourth inning.
OF THE CIRCLE
• Three pitchers – Gianni Hulett (7-3, 2.27 ERA, team-leading 39 strikeouts), Adriana Chavarria (5-2, 2.32 ERA, 35 strikeouts) and victoria abrams (3-3, 3.09 ERA, 38 strikeouts) – have combined to pitch 167 1/3 innings.
Hulett leads the Sun Belt Conference in saves (6, tied with Coastal Carolina’s Nicolette Picone), strikeout-to-walk ratio (7.80; 39 strikeouts, 5 walks) and walks allowed per seven innings (0.54). She also ranks among the NCAA Division I leaders in all three categories: tied for second in saves, fifth in walks allowed per seven innings, and 20th in strikeout-to-walk ratio. Hulett recorded five wins, all in relief, along with one save in a span of six appearances.
LAST TIME
Southeast Louisiana 4, ULM 2
Wednesday, March 22
North Oak Park | Hammond, The.
GT: KK Ladner (7-1); LP: Gianni Hulett (7-3)
Key stats: campbell selman 1-3, run scored, 2B, RBI | madison blount 1-3 | Jacelyn Dollar 1-2
Maddie Nichols 4.0 IP (season high tied), 1 unearned run, 3 hits, 3 strikeouts
Audrey Greely hit a go-ahead run double in the bottom of the sixth while KK Ladner pitched 2 2/3 shutout innings in relief as Southeastern Louisiana rallied for a 4-2 victory over ULM on Wednesday. at night (March 22) at North Oak Park.
Southeastern (23-7) jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Bailey Krolcyzk doubled to left center field, off the ULM starting pitcher. Maddie Nichols. Krolczyk scored when Maddie Watson reached on a throwing error by shortstop.
SLU starting pitcher Cera Blanchard retired the first 13 Warhawk batters in a row.
With one away in the top of the fifth, madison blount he became ULM’s first base runner after hitting a single down the left field line. campbell selman followed with an RBI double to straight center field that scored the pinch runner kassidy giddens from first base. After back-to-back punches, Ladner replaced Blanchard in the circle. Selman, who advanced to third on Giddens’ attempted play at the plate, scored on a pressure bunt from madelyn fletcher to give the Warhawks a 2-1 lead. Jacelyn Dollar he recorded ULM’s third hit of the inning with a single to left-center. With runners on second and third, Ladner struck out lourdes bacon to avoid further damage.
Nichols worked the first four innings for the Warhawks and allowed one unearned run on three hits with three walks and three strikeouts. Adriana Chavarria relieved Giddens in the fifth inning and retired the first two batters before passing the ball to Gianni Hulettwho scored the final out out of the box with a groundout to second base.
The Lions rallied for three runs and three hits in the bottom of the sixth. Madison Rayner drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the inning. Pinch runner Britt Bourgoyne advanced to third after a sacrifice bunt and groundout. Watson hit the first pitch of his at-bat to right field for an RBI single, scoring Bourgoyne from third to tie the score at 2–2. Greely hit an RBI double to left center that scored Watson as Southeastern regained the lead for good at 3-2. On the seventh pitch of her at-bat, Maddie Leal connected for the Lions’ third straight hit, another RBI double into the gap between left-center field, scoring Greely from second for a 4–2 lead.
Ladner, who struck out the swinging side in the top of the seventh to improve his record to 7-1 on the season, allowed just one hit in 2 2/3 innings and struck out seven of the 10 ULM batters he faced. .
Blanchard pitched 4 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on two hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
Gianni (7-3), who went 1 1/3 innings in relief and took the loss for ULM (18-12), gave up three runs and three hits with one walk and no strikeouts.
The Southeast outscored ULM, 6-3, with Krolczyk (2-for-3) and Greely (2-for-3) combining for four hits.
