Lions drop Southland opener to UCA in extras ahead of Saturday doubleheader

HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana wound up on the short end of a pitcher’s duel Friday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field, falling to Central Arkansas, 3-1, in 12 innings. It was the Southland Conference opener for both schools.

Corey Gaconi was locked in from the outset for the Lions (5-9, 0-1 Southland), retiring the first 12 Central Arkansas (5-9, 1-0 Southland) batters he faced before allowing a leadoff single in the fifth inning.

By that time, Southeastern had scratched across a run against Bear starting pitcher Cody Davenport. In the third inning, Trey Harrington ripped a one-out double over the head of the right fielder. After a single by Cody Grosse put runners on the corners, Harrington scored on Nathan Pilutti’s bunt single.

Davenport locked in following the run, retiring the next 15 Lion batters from that point forward.

Central Arkansas pulled even in the seventh as second baseman Jay Anderson knocked a one-out, solo home run to right field. It was his first of the season.

Harrington broke up Davenport’s string of success with a one-out single in the eighth, but the Lions were unable to bring him around. The Central Arkansas right-hander worked nine innings before yielding to reliever Connor Williams.

Gaconi rolled into the 10th, handing the ball over to Kade Granier with two outs in the inning after having retired the final eight batters he faced.

Right fielder Kolby Johnson led off the Bear half of the 12th with a single up the middle. After he was sacrificed to second base, Granier issued back-to-back walks to load the bases. Christian Brasher chopped a ball to third base, but Harrington’s throw to the plate went to the backstop and allowed the go-ahead run to score. Granier hit the next batter, forcing in another run before working out of the jam.

Williams (1-0) earned the win, striking out six in three scoreless innings. Granier (1-2) suffered the loss, allowing two runs – one earned – in 2.1 innings of relief.

With rain expected to impact Sunday’s game, the teams have agreed to wrap up the series with a Saturday doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.

There is no local radio coverage for either 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.

TICKET INFORMATION
Doubleheader tickets are $13 for adults and $9 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.

Fans already holding tickets to either of the final two games in the series may use them for admission to the doubleheader. The stadium will not be cleared between games. All ticket sales are final and no refunds or exchanges will be allowed.
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
Central Arkansas 3, Southeastern 1
———————————————————————————
Central Arkansas…. 000 000 100 002 – 3 5 3 (5-9, 1-0 SLC)
Southeastern………. 001 000 000 000 – 1 5 1 (5-9, 0-1 SLC)
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Pitchers: Central Arkansas – Davenport, Cody; Williams, Conner (10) and Sagdahl, Nathaniel. Southeastern – Gaconi, Corey; Granier, Kade (10) and Manola, Connor.

Win-Williams (1-0) Loss-Granier (1-2) T-2:54 A-1231
HR UCA – Anderson, Jay (1).
Weather: Cloudy 71, S 4 MPH