MONROE, La. – Louisiana dropped the first of their three-game baseball series with ULM by a 16-7 margin, falling to the strength of the Warhawk bats, which totaled 17 hits. The Cajuns fall to 17-13-1 overall and 8-7 in the Sun Belt, while ULM improves to 19-12 overall and moves past the Cajuns into fifth place in the conference at 9-7 in league action. The loss snaps a seven-game overall winning streak for the Ragin' Cajuns, as well as a four-game Sun Belt winning streak.

Travis Whipple went 4-for-4 as Louisiana’s offensive leader, driving in one run and scoring two himself. Kyle Olasin extended his hitting streak to 15 games, going 1-for-5 with a run scored. Scott Hawkins was 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored. Chad Keefer went 0-for-3 but two of those at bats were RBI groundouts. Greg Fontenot returned to form with a 3-for-4 night. Kyle Bostick also drove in two runs, going 1-for-3 on the night.

The Warhawks’ lineup features batting averages above .320 for every player but one, and they used their impressive hitting to get by the Cajuns. The game saw four players take the mound, and each one gave up at least one run. Leading those was Zach Osborne, who threw 1 2/3 innings in relief, the third pitcher of the game, allowing two runs, one earned, on two hits, no walks and a strikeout.

True freshman Alex Fuselier started for the Cajuns on the mound, and experienced some trouble against the potent ULM bats. He lasted 2 1/3 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, on seven hits, two walks and one strikeout.

Blake Haagen entered in relief with one down in the second and inherited a 5-5 tie and runners on first and second. He retired both batters he faced in the third to end the threat. The rest of his outing was not as smooth, as he allowed three runs, all earned, on three hits, two walks and one strikeout.

Dayton Marze made his first Sun Belt appearance of the season, starting the seventh following Osborne’s appearance with the Cajuns down 11-5, and was the only pitcher to keep the Warhawks off the board for a complete inning. After throwing a scoreless seventh, Marze allowed five runs, all earned, on four hits and three walks.

Hawkins drove in the first run of the game in the opening frame, plating Travis Whipple from second. Les Smith moved Hawkins to third with a single to left, and Keefer brought him the rest of the way with a groundout to short, giving the Cajuns a 2-0 lead heading to the bottom of the inning.

ULM answered back with two runs of their own after loading the bases with no outs. Back-to-back sacrifice flies from Matt Laird and Matt Collins brought home the two runs before Fuselier struck out Ryan McMillan.

ULM took the lead back with a first-pitch leadoff home run from Nick Wade in the bottom of the second. An RBI single into left field off the bat of Ben Soignier scored another, putting Louisiana-Monroe up 4-2 after two complete.

Kyle Olasin reached on an error to open the third and advanced all the way to third on the play, then came home on a Travis Whipple single. Keefer again knocked in a run with a groundout to score Whipple and tie the game. The next pitch was a wild one and allowed Scott Hawkins to score from third and put the Cajuns back on top 5-4 following a three-run third.

ULM again came back to tie the game in the bottom of the third, plating one with a single to left. The run ushered in Blake Haagen to take over for Alex Fuselier. Haagen retired both batters he faced to end the threat and keep the game locked at five.

In the next inning, ULM went ahead by one on a sacrifice fly to center field.

ULM added two more for an 8-5 lead in the bottom of the fifth with two walks, a double and single, pushing Haagen out for Zach Osborne. Osborne allowed one of Haagen’s runners home following a hit-by-pitch and an RBI fielder’s choice, but retired the next to leave the fifth down 9-5.

ULM piled on another two runs in the sixth on two hits off of Osborne, and aided by a fielding error by Olasin in center field. That would be the last seen of Osborne in the game, as Dayton Marze started the bottom of the sixth.

The Cajuns made up two runs when Kyle Bostick hit a single to right field scoring Greg Fontenot and Les Smith in the top of the eighth.

ULM added another five in the bottom of the frame, however, blowing the game wide open on four hits, three walks and no errors to bring the score to its final status at 16-7.

The series between Louisiana and ULM continues Saturday with a 1 p.m. doubleheader, composed of Saturday and Sunday’s originally scheduled games, moved forward because of an impending weather threat in the area for Sunday. Jay Walker again has the call for both games on NewsRadio 105.1 KPEL FM in and around Lafayette as well as on 1051KPEL.com, and live statistics will be available as always on RaginCajuns.com.

RaginCajuns.com