LA Tech battles back, rallies to defeat Southeastern on opening night

HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana jumped out to an early five-run lead, but it would not be enough as Louisiana Tech rallied for a 13-8 win over the Lions in the season opener Friday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.

The Lions (0-1) struck first, scoring in the bottom of the first inning.

Designated hitter Preston Faulkner, a sophomore from Denham Springs, Louisiana, yanked a two-out double into the left-center field gap and scored when Kyle Schimpf followed with an RBI single to right field.

Tech (1-0) answered with a two-out run of its own in the top of the second, tying the game, but the Lions kept the pressure on.

Southeastern scored four in the bottom of the inning with two runs coming on Nathan Pilutti’s first home run of the season and the other two scoring on a Faulkner single to center field.

In the third, senior Bryce Steckler scored from third on a sac fly off the bat of Nick Ray, a redshirt freshman from Jefferson, Louisiana, extending the Lions lead to 6-1.

The Bulldogs reached Southeastern starting pitcher Corey Gaconi for five runs (three earned) in the fourth, sending nine batters to the plate, to tie the game once again.

After the Lions regained the lead in the bottom of the inning on a two-run double off the bat of Schimpf, Tech once again sent nine batters to the plate, scoring three runs to take a 9-8 lead. The Bulldogs would tack on three more in the sixth to pad the lead and one in the eight for good measure.

Right-hander Dan Follis (1-0), the fourth of four Bulldog pitchers, earned the win, tossing 5.2 shutout innings. He scattered three hits and did not walk a batter, striking out nine. Kade Granier (0-1), a redshirt senior from Destrehan, Louisiana, suffered the loss after allowing four runs in one inning of work.

Faulkner (3-for-4), Pilutti (3-for-4) and Schimpf (2-for-5) led the Lions at the plate. Schimpf drove in three while both Faulkner and Pilutti plated a pair.

The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. Southeastern will send sophomore right-hander Will Warren (1-1, 3.04) to the mound opposite Tech redshirt-senior southpaw Logan Robbins (7-1, 4.66).
There will be no local radio coverage of Saturday’s game. Fans can keep up with all the action through streaming video ($), live statistics or by following @SLUathletics on Twitter.

Web links to video, stats, promotions and tickets are available on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The ticket booth at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field opens exactly one hour before first pitch.
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.