Islanders thumps Lions in series opener, 18-4

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team dropped its Southland Conference series opener, 18-4, to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in seven innings Friday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.

The Islanders (16-15, 3-4 SLC) homered on the second pitch of the game, scoring three runs in each of the first two innings against Southeastern (11-19, 2-5 SLC).

Preston Faulkner led off the bottom of the second inning with a single. Shea Thomas reached on a throwing error by the shortstop, putting runners on first and second with no outs. Both runners advanced on Champ Artigues’ sacrifice bunt. Faulkner scored on Tristan Welch’s groundout to second.

Lion starting pitcher Will Kinzeler settled in, tossing back-to-back scoreless innings, but A&M-Corpus Christi struck for three more runs in the fifth.

Eight more runs off the bullpen in the sixth put the Islanders up, 17-1.

Tyler Finke led off the bottom of the inning with a walk, putting him aboard for Faulkner’s conference-leading eighth home run of the season. It was also the 28th of his career, tying Faulkner with Brent Taylor (1986-89) for fifth on the SLU all-time home run list.

Thomas followed with a single but was erased on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Artigues. Welch followed with a double, putting a pair in scoring position. Artigues scored on a sacrifice fly by pinch-hitter Michael Curry.

An Islander run in the seventh wrapped up the scoring.

Left-hander Zach Garcia (3-2) earned the win for A&M-Corpus Christi. Kinzeler (2-1) suffered the loss, allowing nine runs – seven earned – in five innings of work.

UP NEXT
The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. Freshman left-hander Adam Guth (1-1, 4.35) draws the Lions’ starting assignment opposite A&M-Corpus Christi senior right-hander Hayden Thomas (4-2, 4.31). Thomas entered the weekend tied for the conference lead in pitching victories and is tied with Kinzeler in strikeouts.

Saturday’s game against the Islanders is part of the annual Super Lion Saturday festivities that include the Lion Football Spring Showcase.

Fans in the Hammond area can also listen on the flagship station of the Southeastern Sports Radio Network – KSLU 90.9 FM – in addition to online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via both the Lions Gameday Experience, Mixlr and MyTuner Radio apps. The MyTuner app is compatible with the Apple CarPlay software available in most late model automobiles. Fans should search for SLU Athletics (Mixlr) or Southeastern Sports Radio Network (MyTuner).

The game will also air on ESPN+.

TICKET & PARKING INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are on sale for the remainder of the regular season. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to minimize ticket lines on game days. Southeastern students are encouraged to contact the ticket office prior to the game to reserve theirs in advance.

General admission tickets are $9 for adults and $6 for youth (ages 3-12). Southeastern students, with a university ID, and children under age 2 are admitted 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 prior to 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.

PARKING CONSTRUCTION
The university is slated to repave a portion of the baseball parking lot, April 13-29, affecting home games against New Orleans (April 14-16), South Alabama (April 19) and Southern Miss (April 26). Additional parking will be available in the parking garage and in the lot north of the garage.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics enforces a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. The policy mirrors 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.

RADIO SHOW
The next episode of Inside Southeastern Baseball with Matt Riser, presented by Pour House Pizza and Beer Garden, is slated for Monday at 12 p.m. from the restaurant in downtown Hammond. Fans can listen to every show online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via the Lions Gameday Experience, MyTuner Radio or Mixlr apps. The MyTuner Radio app is compatible with the Apple CarPlay software available in most newer automobiles.

LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The 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 or by following the link www.LionSports.net/App.

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.

LINE SCORE
A&M-Corpus Christi 18, Southeastern 4 (Apr 08, 2022 at Hammond, La.)
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A&M-Corpus Christi … 330 038 1 – 18 17 3 (16-15, 3-4 SLC)
Southeastern …………….. 010 003 0 – 4 7 1 (11-19, 2-5 SLC)
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Pitchers: A&M-Corpus Christi – Garcia, Zach; Gutierrez, Marco (7) and Taylor, Justin. Southeastern – Kinzeler, Will; Bartley, Kyle (6); Potter, Alex (6) and Grizzaffi, Bryce; Curry, Michael.

Win-Garcia, Zach (3-2) Loss-Kinzeler, Will (2-1) T-2:21 A-1015
HR AMCC – Petkoff, Brandon (3); Caraway, Josh (4); McEnroe, Tucker (1).
HR SLU – Faulkner, Preston (8).
Weather: 66 Clear, WNW 15 mph