BOONE, N.C. — UL Monroe scored three runs in the third inning and five in the ninth to hand Appalachian State University baseball a 10-2 defeat on Sunday afternoon at Beaver Field at Jim and Bettie Smith Stadium.

Despite the loss, wins on Friday and Saturday gave Appalachian State (7-16, 2-7 Sun Belt) its first-ever Sun Belt Conference series victory. ULM avoided the sweep to move to 12-9 overall (2-4 Sun Belt).

Sunday's contest wasn't as lopsided as the final score would indicate, as ULM's three-run third was the difference going into the ninth inning of a 5-2 ballgame. However, the Warhawks banged out five hits against Appalachian State reliever Dallas DeVrieze in the ninth, including a two-run homer by Justin Stawychny and doubles by Robbie Padorsky and Kodie Tidwell.

The Warhawks also benefited from an error and batter that reached on a wild pitch to erase a strikeout in the five-run ninth, which turned a manageable 5-2 deficit into a nearly insurmountable 10-2 ULM lead.

After collecting 13 hits with runners on base in the first two games of the series, Appalachian State managed just two on Sunday and was 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position. The Mountaineers' lone runs came when Noah Holmes drove in Michael Pierson with an RBI groundout in the second and Dillon Dobson hit his team-leading sixth home run of the season in the fourth.

Pierson finished 2-for-4 with a leadoff triple in the second to pace Appalachian State's 10-hit attack. Brandon Burris also had two hits for the Mountaineers. Dobson's solo homer in the fourth capped a terrific weekend for the junior, who went 9-for-12 (.750) with two doubles, two home runs, five RBI and seven runs scored in three games against ULM.

Stawychny went 3-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, two RBI and two runs scored to lead the Warhawks.

Up next for Appalachian State are a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. The Mountaineers travel to North Carolina for a 6 p.m. matchup on Tuesday before returning home to host Wake Forest at 5 p.m. on Wednesday at Smith Stadium.