Southeastern scores four in 9th to walk-off Troy

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team rallied for four runs in the ninth inning on the way to a walk-off, 5-4, win Wednesday over Troy in non-conference action at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.

It marks the seventh time this season Southeastern (11-18) has rallied from a deficit in the fifth inning or later to pick up a victory and is the Lions’ fifth consecutive win over Troy (18-9), dating back to the 2019 season.

The Trojans opened up the game with an exclamation point as leadoff hitter Jesse Hall turned on the first pitch of the game for a solo home run. It was his first of the season.

Following the home run, SLU starting pitcher Hunter O’Toole settled in for a solid start. The senior from Arkansas City, Kansas held Troy in check over the next five innings and allowed the Lions time to get back into the game.

Tristan Welch, a graduate student from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, tied the game with a one-out solo homer in the fifth. The opposite-field shot was his fourth of the season for Southeastern.

Troy responded with a single and then a two-run homer opening up the sixth, adding another run to its lead in the seventh.

SLU entered the ninth down by three runs, having mustered just two hits to that point in the game.

Third baseman Shea Thomas worked a leadoff walk against reliever Judd Hershiser. After a ball ran the count to 2-2 on Champ Artigues, the Trojans brought in their closer, Marquez Oates. Artigues grounded out, advancing Thomas into scoring position.

Oates, who had given up just six hits in 17.2 innings of work all season, proceeded to give up an RBI single to Welch, a double to center field by pinch-hitter Pierce Leavengood and an RBI single to Christian Garcia.

With the Troy lead down to one run, 4-3, and still just one out, Oates hit Evan Keller with a pitch to load the bases. Rhett Rosevear followed with an infield single, plating pinch-runner Jake Johnson with the tying run. Tyler Finke followed with an RBI single to left, driving home pinch-runner Joe Delaney with the winning run.

Andrew Yuratich (1-0), a freshman from Livingston, Louisiana, earned the first win of his collegiate career. The right-hander worked a scoreless ninth, getting an inning-ending double play to erase a one-out single.

Oates (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing three runs on five hits in 0.1 inning pitched.

Garcia (2-for-3) and Welch (2-for-4) both enjoyed multi-hit games for the Lions, who picked up their third consecutive win.

UP NEXT
Southeastern hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in three-game Southland Conference series this weekend at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. Game times are 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday as part of Super Lion Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

TICKET & PARKING INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are on sale for the remainder of the regular season. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to minimize ticket lines on game days. Southeastern students are encouraged to contact the ticket office prior to the game to reserve theirs in advance.

General admission tickets are $9 for adults and $6 for youth (ages 3-12). Southeastern students, with a university ID, and children under age 2 are admitted 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 prior to 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 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.

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.

LINE SCORE
Southeastern 5, Troy 4 (Apr 06, 2022 at Hammond, La.)
———————————————————————-
Troy ……………. 100 002 100 – 4 10 1 (18-10)
Southeastern … 000 010 004 – 5 7 1 (11-18)
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Pitchers: Troy – Mosley, Rigsby; Gamble, Kyle (5); Pettys, Ryan (7); Hershiser, Judson (9); Oates, Marquez (9) and Stearns, Clay. Southeastern – O’Toole, Hunter; Landry, Andrew (6); Dugas, Daniel (8); Yuratich, Andrew (9) and Grizzaffi, Bryce.

Win-Yuratich, Andrew (1-0) Loss-Oates, Marquez (1-1) T-2:57 A-1140
HR TROY – Hall, Jesse (1); Leonard, Trey (3).
HR SLU – Welch, Tristan (4).
Weather: 84 Partly Cloudy, WNW 10 mph
Hershiser, J faced 1 batter in the 9th.