Southeastern powers past HBU in regular-season baseball finale

HAMMOND, La. – Preston Faulkner and Brandon Hale smashed home runs as Southeastern Louisiana wrapped up the regular season with an 8-2 win Saturday over Houston Baptist in Southland Conference action at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.

Southeastern (30-22, 22-17 SLC) wiped out an early 1-0 deficit with a five-run third inning against the Huskies (14-38, 11-27 SLC).

Eli Johnson and Nick Ray knocked back-to-back singles to open up the frame. Evan Keller’s sacrifice bunt fell for a base hit, loading the bases. Tyler Finke plated the tying run with an infield single and Preston Faulkner cleared the bases with a grand slam, all before the first out of the inning was recorded.

Faulkner’s home run was his team-leading eighth of the season and the third grand slam of his career.

HBU picked up a run in the fifth off a bases-loaded single, but reliever Daniel Dugas struck out the next batter to minimize the damage.

The Lions added some insurance runs in the eighth.

Faulkner worked a leadoff walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. A two-out, opposite-field single by Christian Garcia drove in Faulkner and chase Huskie reliever Morris Austin from the game. Hale greeted new reliever Austin Spinney with a pinch-hit blast to left field. It was his first homer of the season and second of his career.

Kyle Bartley (4-1) the second of six Southeastern pitchers, earned the win. He tossed 2.2 innings of scoreless relief, allowing two hits and one walk. He struck out two. HBU starter Tyler Zarella (0-7) suffered the loss, allowing five runs – all earned – in four innings of work.

RADIO SHOW
The next episode of Inside Southeastern Baseball with Matt Riser, presented by Blackened Brew, will be broadcast Monday at 12 p.m. from the restaurant in downtown Hammond. Fans can listen to every show on KSLU 90.9 FM, online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via either the Lions Gameday Experience or TuneIn Radio apps. The one-hour show airs every Monday during the baseball season.

UP NEXT
The Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, presented by GeoSurfaces is scheduled for May 26-29 at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. The double-elimination tournament will feature the league’s top eight teams and concludes with a winner-take-all championship game May 29 at 6 p.m.

No. 3-seeded Southeastern will face No. 6-seeded Northwestern State at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the first round.

SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT TICKET INFORMATION
General Admission booklets, allowing admission to every game of the tournament, are $100 for adults and $50 for youths ages 3-12. Students presenting a valid ID from a current Southland Conference institution, and children under the age of three, will be admitted free of charge.

For each day of the baseball tournament, any remaining tickets will be sold for the morning session (first two games) or afternoon session (last two games). The ballpark will be cleared between sessions and re-entry is not allowed.

Session ticket prices are: $21 (box seats, as available), $17 (chairback seats, as available), $13 (general admission adults) and $9 (general admission youth – ages 3-12).

MOBILE TICKETING
Southeastern implemented mobile ticketing as the primary method for securing tickets during the 2020-21 school year. 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.

GAMEDAY PARKING
Gameday parking during the regular season is $5 per day for standard vehicles and $35 (full weekend) for RVs.

Single-day parking during the 2021 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, presented by GeoSurfaces, is $5 for most vehicles. An All-Tournament parking pass is available for $20 for standard vehicles and $50 for RVs.

CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics enforces a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. The policy mirrors 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.

SOCIAL DISTANCING ON GAMEDAYS
Southeastern, which is following state and local health guidelines for outdoor events set forth by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, has returned to 100 percent capacity at all athletic events. Fans are asked to maintain a comfortable distance from others when possible, wear a face covering over both their nose and mouth, and wash their hands frequently. Hand sanitizing stations are located throughout Southeastern’s athletic facilities.

LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The 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 or by following the link www.LionSports.net/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 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.