HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team jumped out in front early Saturday and never looked back on its way to a 9-5 win over New Orleans, finishing off the series sweep at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field and bringing the Pontchartrain Bowl trophy back to Hammond.
Southeastern (16-20, 7-5 SLC) took advantage of early wildness by Privateer starting pitcher Collin Horton. The right-hander walked the first three batters he faced in the game before being pulled in favor of left-hander Kyle Khachadourian.
Preston Faulkner greeted Khachadourian with a line drive to left field, clearing the fence for a grand slam. It was his conference-leading 11th home run of the season and the 31st of his career. He is now tied for third in program history with both Andy Allain (1981-84) and Ed Nodhturft (1996-97).
The Lions added to their lead with a solo home run by Evan Keller in the second inning. It was his fourth of the season.
UNO (19-14, 6-6 SLC) loaded the bases with no outs in the third, but Southeastern starting pitcher Adam Guth induced a double-play ground ball. A run scored, but Guth struck out the next batter to end the inning and minimize the damage.
Southeastern answered with another solo home run in the bottom of the inning, this time off the bat of Shea Thomas. It was the first of the year for the junior from Olympia, Washington and pushed the Lions’ lead to 6-1.
The game tightened up over the next two innings as UNO scored four unanswered runs, but the Lions were determined not to let the game slip away. Daniel Dugas and Gage Trahan combined for 4.2 innings of scoreless relief while the bats extended the lead.
A Privateer error led to an unearned run in the fifth and Rhett Rosevear greeted new reliever Tod Gauthe with a two-run single through the right side in the sixth.
Dugas (3-1) earned the win, allowing just one hit and one walk over 2.2 innings of relief work. Horton (2-1), who suffered the loss, was charged with three runs without recording an out.
Thomas (3-for-4) and Grizzaffi (2-for-4) turned in multi-hit performances for the Lions. For Thomas, it was his fourth three-hit game of the season. Faulkner (4), Rosevear (2) and Thomas (2) drove in multiple runs each.
With the sweep, SLU jumped into a tie for first place in the Southland standings with Nicholls and HBU. Southeastern has now won its last five against the Privateers overall.
The Lions were presented with the Pontchartrain Bowl trophy following the game, marking the fifth time in seven tries that SLU has won the trophy. It also marked the third sweep trophy history, all by Southeastern.
RADIO SHOW
The next episode of Inside Southeastern Baseball with Matt Riser, presented by Pour House Pizza and Beer Garden, is slated for Monday at 12 p.m. from the restaurant in downtown Hammond. Fans can listen to every show online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via the Lions Gameday Experience, MyTuner Radio or Mixlr apps. The MyTuner Radio app is compatible with the Apple CarPlay software available in most newer automobiles.
UP NEXT
Southeastern wraps up the four-game homestand with a non-conference matchup with South Alabama (22-12). First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. Tuesday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. SLU was scheduled to face the Jaguars in Mobile, Alabama back on April 5 but that game was canceled because of heavy rain along the gulf coast.
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 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 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.
PARKING CONSTRUCTION
The university is slated to repave a portion of the baseball parking lot, from April 13-29, affecting home games against New Orleans (April 14-16), South Alabama (April 19) and Southern Miss (April 26). Additional parking will be available in the parking garage and in the lot north of the garage.
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 by 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 9, New Orleans 5 (Apr 16, 2022 at Hammond, La.)
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New Orleans …….. 001 220 000 – 5 11 1 (19-14, 6-6 SLC)
Southeastern …….. 411 012 00X – 9 8 0 (16-20, 7-5 SLC)
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Pitchers: New Orleans – Horton, Collin; Khachadourian, Kyle (1); Mead, Jacob (5); Gauthe, Tod (6); Paplham, Cole (8) and Useche, Miguel. Southeastern – Guth, Adam; Dugas, Daniel (5); Trahan, Gage (8) and Grizzaffi, Bryce.
Win-Dugas, Daniel (3-1) Loss-Horton, Collin (2-1) T-3:01 A-969
HR SLU – Keller, Evan (4); Faulkner, Preston (11); Thomas, Shea (1).
Weather: 80 Cloudy, SSW 8 mph
C. Horton faced 3 batters in the 1st.
{Courtesy: release from Southeastern}