SLU walk off with win over Southern Miss

HAMMOND, La. – Shae Thomas blasted his team-leading sixth home run of the season leading off the bottom of the ninth inning Tuesday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field and the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team walked off with a 7-6 non-conference win over Southern Miss.

The Golden Eagles (18-11) had rallied from a run down to tie the game in the top of the ninth, setting up Thomas’ heroics for Southeastern (19-10).

Southern Miss jumped out in front early in the game, scoring a run in the first on a solo home run and then picking up three more in the second for a 4-0 lead.

The Lions chipped away at the deficit in the bottom of the inning. Jake Killingsworth launched a solo shot to left field leading off the second. It was the second homer of the season for the Lion designated hitter.

SLU took advantage of some bullpen struggles by Southern Miss in the fourth, scoring five runs to take a 6-4 lead.

Ryan Brome led off with a single, advancing to second on a fielding error by the left fielder. After stealing third base, he scored on Christian Garcia’s RBI single to right. Following a two-out walk to Justin Williams, the Golden Eagles brought in reliever JW Armistead. After hitting TJ Salvaggio with a pitch to load the bases, he proceeded to walk both Thomas and Conner O’Neal to force in the tying runs.

Killingsworth greeted reliever Chase Adams with a two-run single to center.

Southern Miss answered right back in the fifth, pulling within a run on a solo home run by left fielder Billy Butler. It was his fifth of the season.

Five Southeastern relievers combined to shut down the Golden Eagle bats over the final seven-plus innings.

Jackson Rodriguez (3-1) earned the win, allowing one run in one inning of work. Colby Allen (3-2) suffered the loss, also allowing one run in one-plus inning of work.

Killingsworth (2-for-4) and Williams (2-for-4) turned in multi-hit performances at the plate for the Lions.

UP NEXT
Southeastern returns to Southland Conference action this coming weekend, hosting Nicholls at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. Games are slated for 6 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

Friday is Scout Night at the ballpark. All Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in uniform will receive free admission to the game.

Also, on tap are a pair of weekly promotions. Saturday’s game will feature Baseball Bingo while Sunday is Military Appreciation Day. Free general admission tickets are available Sunday for active military members by presenting a valid service ID at the gate.

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 7, Southern Miss 6 (Apr 02, 2024 at Hammond, LA)
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Southern Miss ……. 130 010 001 – 6 8 2 (18-11)
Southeastern ………. 010 500 001 – 7 7 1 (19-10)
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Pitchers: Southern Miss – Boswell, Cole; Payne, Landen (3); Flowers, Ben Riley (4); Armistead, JW (4); Adams, Chase (4); Middleton, JB (6); Allen, Colby (8) and Odom, Lawson; Stockman, Tucker. Southeastern – Vosburg, Aiden; Lauve, Lance (2); Bennett, Levi (3); Aspholm, Dalton (6); Polk, Lakin (7); Rodriguez, Jackson (9) and O’Neal, Conner.

Win-Rodriguez, Jackson (3-1) Loss-Allen, Colby (3-2) T-2:46 A-1622
HR USM – Wilks, Slade (6); Butler, Billy (5).
HR SLU – Thomas, Shea (6); Killingsworth, Jake (2).
Weather: 78 Cloudy, SW 10 mph
JW Armistead faced 3 batters in the 4th.
Aspholm, D. faced 2 batters in the 7th.
Allen faced 1 batter in the 9th.