Purdue shuts out SLU

GREENVILLE, N.C. – A pair of Purdue pitchers held the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball program to two hits Saturday on the way to shutting out the Lions, 5-0, at Lewis Field at Clark-LeClair Stadium.

Both Southeastern (7-4) and the Boilermakers (7-3) have split their first two games at the 21st annual Keith LeClair Classic.

Purdue right fielder Keenan Spence put the Boilermakers on the board with a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. He picked up three hits in the game, later scoring the fifth and final run.

A leadoff walk to Mike Bolton Jr. in the third, combined with a stolen base and a throwing error, led to the second run. Bolton would also homer with one out in the fifth, extending the Boilermaker lead to 3-0 over SLU.

The Boilermakers added two more runs on a pair of walks and a pair of singles in the sixth.

Ryan Brome’s first-inning single and Shea Thomas’ leadoff single in the seventh were Southeastern’s only base hits in the game.

Purdue starting pitcher Luke Wagner (2-0) earned the win, tossing six shutout innings. He allowed two hits, exiting after Thomas’ single in the seventh, and walked one to go along with five strikeouts. Reliever Jackson Dannelley closed out the game with three shutout innings to record his third save of the season.

SLU starter Dakota Lee (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing three runs – two earned – in five innings of work.

UP NEXT
Southeastern wraps up its participation in the Keith LeClair Classic at noon Sunday against No. 11-ranked East Carolina (6-3) on ESPN+.

Will Kinzeler (1-0, 10.50), a senior right-hander from Covington, Louisiana, earns the start on the mound in the series finale. He will be opposed by ECU junior right-hander Jake Hunter (1-0, 0.87).

Fans can listen to all three games 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.

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
Purdue 5, Southeastern 0 (Mar 02, 2024 at Greenville, N.C.)
———————————————————————-
Southeastern …….. 000 000 000 – 0 2 3 (7-4)
Purdue …………….. 011 012 00X – 5 7 1 (7-3)
———————————————————————-
Pitchers: Southeastern – Lee, Dakota; Lauve, Lance (6); Bennett, Levi (8) and Sorensen, Bailyn. Purdue – Wagner, Luke; Dannelley, Jackson(7) and Dolney, Aaron; Caskenette, Connor.

Win-Wagner, Luke (2-0) Save-Dannelley, Jackson (3) Loss-Lee, Dakota (0-1) T-2:02 A-0
HR PUR – Spence, Keenan (3); Bolton Jr., Mike (1).
Wagner faced 1 batter in the 7th.