App State softball hosted Louisiana-Monroe for a three-game series Friday through Sunday, dropping two games and losing the series.
The Mountaineers started out strong in the first game Friday, taking an 8-4 win.
In the first inning, App State busted the game wide open, driving 5 runs across the plate. The first was a bases-loaded RBI-single by freshman first baseman Madison McIntyre.
Sophomore utility player Taylor Chumbley took advantage of this situation, blasting a grand slam over the left field wall.
“I had noticed previous at bats from other people that she was throwing inside pitches and I honestly thought the first pitch was going to be the inside pitch that I wanted, it was a rise ball,” Chumbley said. “Then after she threw me that second rise she threw me an off pitch and knew that when she got me to see away, she was going to try and get me in, so I knew exactly where that pitch was going to be.”
Sophomore infielder Macy Hamby sent a pitch over the left field wall in the second to extend the Mountaineers’ lead to 6.
In the next 2 innings, both teams’ pitchers locked down the offenses, allowing no runs.
This changed in the fifth when a series of miscues by the App State defense allowed the Warhawks to score 2 runs in the same play and then another one batter later.
The Mountaineers responded at the bottom of the inning, with a RBI-triple by freshman outfielder Julia Girk and an RBI-bunt single by sophomore utility player Summer Simpson extending their lead to 8-3.
ULM scored 1 more run in the sixth, but junior pitcher Sophie Moshos closed out her complete game to seal the Mountaineers’ win.
Saturday the Black and Gold suffered a 13-2 run-rule loss in 5 innings.
The Warhawks got off to a fast start, driving in a run in the first to take an early lead.
They added 4 more in the fourth on an RBI-groundout and a 3-run homer to extend their lead to 5.
Sophomore infielder Grace Barrett drove in a run with an RBI-single, but a 5-run third inning from the Warhawks gave them a 10-1 lead and meant the game was firmly into run rule territory.
Simpson fired a solo shot to left center to close the lead to 8, but that proved to be the last run of the day for the Black and Gold.
ULM scored another 2 in the fourth and 1 in the fifth to take the win and even the series up.
Sunday, the Mountaineers and Warhawks engaged in a defensive struggle to end the series with the Warhawks ultimately coming out on top 3-2.
In the first, freshman left fielder Leah Gore swatted a solo shot to left center to give the Mountaineers an early lead.
Neither team scored in the second and third but in the fourth, ULM drove in 2 runs to take the lead 2-1.
The two teams once again went cold in the fifth and sixth with neither team able to generate much offense.
In the seventh, ULM tacked on another run with a sacrifice fly to extend their lead to 2.
The Mountaineers tacked on a run on a McIntyre single, but Chumbley grounded into a double play, stranding a runner and failing to tie it up, losing the game and the series.
This series loss drops the Black and Gold to 17-23 overall and 7-8 in conference play.
The Mountaineers travel to Atlanta for a three-game series against Georgia State Thursday-Saturday. Thursday’s first pitch is at 6 p.m. and all three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
