Box Score THIBODAUX, La. - Fighting Leatherneck baseball scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to tie its final game of the Carmel Inn Showdown with Louisiana-Monroe, but the Warhawks came away victorious in 11 innings, 6-5, on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 22).
The Leathernecks struck first in the top half of the first inning to take the 1-0 lead. Zack Burling reached on an error to lead off the game. Burling came around to score his first run of the year on a wild pitch from ULM.
After a scoreless second and third inning for both teams, ULM scored twice in the fourth to go on top 2-1. The Warhawks recorded two doubles in the inning to capture the lead.
ULM added two more runs in the fifth inning and one more in the sixth to go up 5-1. After a scoreless seventh the Leathernecks added their second run in the eighth. Burling scored his second run of the game on a Tanner Glore RBI groundout.
The Leathernecks came alive in the ninth inning, scoring three runs to tie the game at 5-5 and send the game into extra innings. Matt Risdon, Nathan Pollock and Cody Williams all scored for Western in the inning. Pollock and Williams both came around to score when Burling reached on an error to tie the game.
After a scoreless 10th, the Leathernecks notched two singles in the 11th but would strand two runners. ULM then won on a two-out walk-off single up the middle in the 11th from Jeff Fuller.
Western used six total pitchers in the game with Nick Smith (0-1) recording the loss.Tyler Bray (1-0) recorded the win for the Warhawks after throwing the final three innings.
Cody Williams led the way for the Leathernecks with two hits in the contest. Western falls to 0-4 on the season after the loss, while ULM improves to 4-3.
The Purple & Gold will be back in action next weekend in Evansville, Ind. against the Evansville Purple Aces. Game one of the four-game series is set for Friday (Feb. 28) at 3 p.m.
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