Lions shut out Tarleton to even series

HAMMOND, La. – Dakota Lee, Jackson Rodriguez and Lance Lauve combined on a five-hit shutout Saturday afternoon as the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball program evened up its season-opening series against Tarleton State with a 2-0 win at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.

Lee was dominant early in his Lion debut, fanning the first two batters of the game. He would hold the Texans (1-1) to a pair of hits through 4.2 innings.

Similar to Friday, the Lions (1-1) were on the scoreboard in the first inning.

Parker Coley led off the bottom of the inning with a double to left field, advancing to third on a bunt by Ryan Brome. Coley scored on an RBI single to left by second baseman Jake Haze.

Lee made sure the lead held up as Tarleton starting pitcher Matt Haley (0-1) shut down the Southeastern bats over the next several innings. After issuing back-to-back walks to the eighth and ninth-place hitters in the Texans’ order, he handed the ball over to Rodriguez (1-0) with two outs in the fifth.

The senior left-hander from Kingwood, Texas proceeded to strike out the next hitter to end the inning. Rodriguez continued to lock down the Tarleton offense for the following three innings.

SLU pushed across an insurance run in the seventh.

Pinch-hitter Jude Hall led off the inning with a single through the right side. After TJ Salvaggio pushed a bunt back to the pitcher, Texan reliever Reese Bassinger threw the ball away attempting to double off Hall at first. Coley followed with an RBI single up the middle, scoring Hall from second.

Lauve relieved Rodriguez in the ninth. After issuing back-to-back walks to open the inning, Lauve battled back to fan Tarleton center fielder Kooper Shook and then picked the lead runner off second. A called third strike ended the game as Lauve picked up his first save of the season.

Rodriguez earned the win, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings in relief. He surrendered three hits and fanned three batters. Haley suffered the loss, allowing one run in 4.2 innings of work.

Coley turned in a multi-hit performance, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a double. The junior from Sterlington, Louisiana had a hand in both runs, scoring one and driving in the other.

UP NEXT
The series wraps up Sunday at noon on ESPN+. Free general admission tickets are available at each Sunday home game for active military members by presenting a valid service ID at the gate.

Will Kinzeler (5-1, 3.34), a senior right-hander from Covington, Louisiana, earns the start on the mound for the Lions in the series finale. He will be opposed by Tarleton freshman southpaw Braydon Risley.

Fans can listen to the game broadcast in the Hammond area on 90.9 The Lion. In addition, 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
Southeastern 2, Tarleton 0 (Feb 17, 2024 at Hammond, LA)
———————————————————————-
Tarleton …………… 000 000 000 – 0 5 1 (1-1)
Southeastern …….. 100 000 10X – 2 6 2 (1-1)
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Pitchers: Tarleton – Haley, Matt; Bassinger, Reese (5) and Guerra, Sergio; Crews, Mason. Southeastern – Lee, Dakota; Rodriguez, Jackson (5); Lauve, Lance (9) and O’Neal, Conner.

Win-Rodriguez, Jackson (1-0) Save-Lauve, Lance (1) Loss-Haley, Matt (0-1) T-2:33 A-1065
Weather: 45 Overcast, N 17 mph