HCU evens series with SLU, 9-2

HAMMOND, La. – Dropping a 9-2 decision Friday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field, the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team has split the first two games of its Southland Conference series against HCU.

The Huskies (8-18, 1-4 SLC) jumped out in front early, pushing across three runs in both the first and second innings against Southeastern (18-9, 3-2 SLC) starting pitcher Dakota Lee.

Left-hander Larson Fabre gave the Lions a chance to get back into the ballgame. The redshirt freshman from Denham Springs, Louisiana came on in long relief and shut down the Huskies’ bats, allowing just one hit during his 4.2 innings of work.

SLU picked up an unearned run in the bottom of the second. Jake Haze reached on a two-out error, eventually scoring from first on Peyton Woods’ two-out double. Parker Coley followed with a single to left, but Woods would be thrown out trying to score.

The Huskies extended their lead back to six, 7-1, with an unearned run in the fourth.

Southeastern had the makings of a big inning in the fifth. With runners at first and second, and no outs, Coley scorched a ball into right-center. HCU right fielder William Jewell chased the ball down in the gap and then fired the ball to second base, allowing the Huskies to double-off a pair of SLU base runners for a triple play.

The Lions would pick up a run in the sixth, but that was as close as they would get. HCU tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the ninth for good measure.

Parker Edwards (2-3) picked up the win for the Huskies, limiting SLU to one unearned run in five innings. He scattered three hits and one walk, striking out three. Lee (0-2) suffered the loss, allowing six runs – all earned – in the one inning of work.

Woods (3-for-4) was the only Lion to pick up multiple hits, while TJ Salvaggio saw his nine-game hitting streak come to an end.

UP NEXT
The series wraps up with a 2 p.m. first pitch Saturday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. Will Kinzeler (1-1, 8.69), a senior right-hander from Covington, Louisiana, earns the start on the mound opposite HCU senior right-hander Rye Gunter (0-0, 6.64) on ESPN+. The series finale offers fans the opportunity to play baseball bingo during the contest.

Fans can also listen to the game broadcasts in the Hammond area on 90.9 The Lion. An audio stream is available online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via the Lions Gameday Experience, TuneIn and MyTuner Radio apps. Both the TuneIn and MyTuner apps are compatible with the Apple CarPlay software available in most late-model automobiles. Search for KSLU 90.9 FM in the TuneIn app.

TICKET & PARKING INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are now on sale. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to minimize ticket lines on game days. Southeastern students are encouraged to contact the ticket office before the game to reserve theirs in advance.

General admission tickets for most games are $11 for adults and $8 for youth (ages 3-12). Southeastern students, with a university ID, and children under age 2 are admitted for free. Gameday parking is $5 per day for standard vehicles and $25 for RVs.

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 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Fridays. The ticket booth at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field opens exactly one hour before the scheduled first pitch.

Southeastern uses mobile ticketing as the primary method for distributing tickets purchased online. Tickets will be available via text message or email in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics enforces a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. The policy mirrors the safety precautions required for entrance to professional and collegiate sporting venues throughout the country. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/Clear.

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 by visiting www.LionUp.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Southeastern Baseball social media accounts (@LionUpBaseball) on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay engaged with the program.

The latest updates are also available at www.LionSports.net and the Lions Gameday Experience app. Available for both Android and iOS devices, the Gameday app can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.

LINE SCORE
HCU 9, Southeastern 2 (Mar 29, 2024 at Hammond, LA)
—————————————————————————–
HCU ……………….. 330 100 002 – 9 8 2 (8-18, 1-4 SLC)
Southeastern …….. 010 001 000 – 2 6 1 (18-9, 3-2 SLC)
—————————————————————————–
Pitchers: HCU – Edwards, Parker; Valdez, Jonathan (6); Ryan, Zach (6); Shoffner, Brock (9) and Bard, Luke.
Southeastern – Lee, Dakota; Fabre, Larson (2); Aspholm, Dalton (6); Lauve, Lance (9) and O’Neal, Conner.

Win-Edwards, Parker (2-3) Loss-Lee, Dakota (0-2) T-2:29 A-1332
HR HCU – LaRue, Dylan (1); Benjamin, Samuel (5).
Weather: 71 Mostly Clear, SE 12 mph