Extra-base hits power Lions to run-rule win over Alcorn State

HAMMOND, La. – Preston Faulkner, Kyle Schimpf and Evan Pace blasted home runs as Southeastern Louisiana produced eight extra-base hits on the way to a 13-3, seven-inning victory Wednesday over Alcorn State at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.

The Southeastern (8-12) offense started slow, picking up an unearned run in the second inning. Brennan Breaud led off the inning with a single up the middle before stealing second base. He scored when the Alcorn (6-13) third baseman misplayed a chopper off the bat of designated hitter Jonathan Parker.

Faulkner led off the third with a solo shot to left field, knocking his team-leading third homer of the season. The Lions picked up another run in the inning, jumping out to a 3-0 lead.

Back-to-back walks by Schimpf and Trey Harrington opened up the fifth, setting the stage for more offensive highlights. Brennan Breaud followed with an RBI double, one of his game-high three hits, driving in Schimpf. Harrington would score on a groundout by Nathan Pilutti and Breaud was still on base when Pace blasted his first home run of the season.

The Braves cut into Southeastern’s 7-0 lead with a run in the sixth, but Schimpf responded with a towering shot to right field in the bottom of the inning. Harrington followed with a double. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, the sophomore from Lakeland, Tennessee, scored on a Breaud groundout.

Alcorn picked up two more runs in seventh, forcing the Lions to run through a trio of relievers in the inning, but Southeastern finished off the game with four more runs in the bottom half.

Pace narrowly missed his second homer of the game, careening a double off the wall in left-center field to open up the inning. After Bryce Steckler worked a walk, Cody Grosse and Faulkner both followed with run-scoring doubles. The pair scored on Schimpf’s two-run single to right, giving Southeastern the 10-run advantage needed to wrap the game up early.

Justin Simanek (1-0), the first of six Lion pitchers in the contest, earned the win. The junior right-hander from Kent, Washington, scattered a pair of hits and one walk during 3.2 scoreless innings of work. He struck out five. Alcorn starting pitcher Tyler Smith (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing three runs in three innings of work.

Breaud (3-for-4), Faulkner (2-for-5), Harrington (2-for-3), Pace (2-for-2) and Schimpf (2-for-3) all turned in multihit performances to pace the Lions at the plate. Breaud also stole three bases, the most by a Southeastern player since Drew Avans accomplished the feat against Feb. 17, 2018, against SIU-Edwardsville.

Southeastern continues its four-game homestand this weekend, hosting Abilene Christian in a Southland Conference series. Games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets can be purchased online at www.LionSports.net/Tickets or by contacting the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays. The ticket booth at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field opens exactly one hour before first pitch.

General Admission tickets for Lion home games are $9 for adults and $6 for children (ages 3-12). Southeastern students are admitted free with a valid university ID card.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of the 2018 fall semester. The policy mirrors safety precautions taken upon entrance to professional and collegiate sporting venues throughout the country. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/Clear.

LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The new Lions Gameday Experience app puts audio, stats, video, social media and more in the hands of fans. Those in attendance can also check in to earn reward points redeemable for Southeastern-related prizes. Available for both Android and iOS devices, it can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.

DIAMOND CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the baseball program are encouraged to join the Diamond Club. Lion baseball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.

All membership fees and donations to both the Diamond Club and S Club (baseball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern baseball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lions Baseball, follow @LionUpBaseball or @MattRiser17 on Twitter, @LionUpBaseball on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.

LINESCORE
Southeastern 13, Alcorn State 3
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Alcorn State……… 000 001 2 – 3 7 2 (6-13)
Southeastern…….. 012 042 4 – 13 12 0 (8-12)
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Pitchers: Alcorn State – Smith, Tyler; Smith, Joe (4); Key, Devon (5); Atwood, Austin (6) and Jenkins, Kyle. Southeastern – Simanek, Justin; Upton, Grant (4); Tassin, Bryce (6); Shaffer, Trey (7); Hughes, Noah (7); Flesher, Nick (7) and Manola, Connor; Pace, Evan.

Win-Simanek (1-0) Loss-Smith, T. (0-1) T-2:39 A-1220
HR SLU – Faulkner, Preston (3); Schimpf, Kyle (2); Pace, Evan (1).
Weather: Clear, cool
Joe Smith faced 3 batters in the 5th.
A. Atwood faced 5 batters in the 7th.