Grosse’s homer not enough as Lions fall at Oklahoma State

STILLWATER, Okla. – Cody Grosse led off the game with a solo home run to right field Saturday at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, but that was all the offense Southeastern Louisiana would generate in a 5-1 nonconference loss to Oklahoma State.

After picking up just one hit in Friday’s loss to the Cowboys (12-5), Southeastern (6-12) had an early lead on Grosse’s first homer as a Lion. The momentum, however, shifted quickly.

Lion starting pitcher Mason Knopp walked the leadoff batter in the bottom of the inning and the next batter, Oklahoma State third baseman Andrew Navigato, lofted a high fly ball over the right-field fence for a two-run home run and the lead.

Back-to-back singles followed and, after a wild pitch advanced both runners into scoring position, the runner at third scored on a sacrifice fly to center field.

Trey Harrington led off the second inning with a single, as it looked like the ballpark might play much smaller than it had the night before, but the Lions stranded him at first base.

Three consecutive one-out hits in the second, a single, double and single, plated a pair of runs for Oklahoma State. Those would be the final runs scored in the game, although the Cowboys would twice leave the bases loaded.

Southeastern threatened in the middle innings, leaving the bases loaded in the fifth and stranding pair in the sixth after back-to-back singles to open up the frame.

Joe Lienhard (2-1), the second of five Cowboy pitchers, earned the win after working 1.2 scoreless innings. Knopp (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing all five runs in three innings of work.

Grosse was the first Lion hitter to lead off a game with a home run since Ryan Byers accomplished the feat in the NCAA Regionals against then No. 4–ranked LSU (June 3, 2017).

The series concludes Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Southeastern will send sophomore right-hander Will Warren (0-2, 8.20) to the mound to oppose Cowboy southpaw Mitchell Stone (1-0, 2.45). A local television broadcast of the game is accessible through the Oklahoma State YouTube account (/OSUathletics).

The game can be heard in the Hammond area on the flagship station of the Southeastern Sports Radio Network, KSLU 90.9 FM, online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via both the Lions Gameday Experience and TuneIn Radio apps.

Fans can also keep up with all the action through live statistics or by following @SLUathletics on Twitter. Web links to audio, video and stats are available on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.

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
Oklahoma State 5, Southeastern 1
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Southeastern……….. 100 000 000 – 1 5 1 (6-12)
Oklahoma State…… 320 000 00X – 5 12 1 (12-5)
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Pitchers: Southeastern – Knopp, Mason; Shaffer, Trey (4); Tassin, Bryce (7); Upton, Grant (8) and Manola, Connor. Oklahoma State – Lyons, Jake; Lienhard, Joe (5); Gragg, Logan (7); Basso, Brady (8); Battenfield, Peyton (9) and Simpson, Colin.

Win-Lienhard (2-1) Loss-Knopp (0-1) T-3:02 A-1585
HR SLU – Grosse, Cody (1).
HR OSU – Navigato, Andrew (3).