HAMMOND, La. – Nicholls hit four home runs Saturday on its way to an 11-5 win over the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team in Southland Conference action at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
The Colonels (12-9, 2-0 SLC) broke a scoreless tie in the third with a grand slam. Single runs in the fourth and fifth innings, the latter of which came on a solo homer, put Nicholls on top, 6-0, through five.
Southeastern (8-15, 0-2 SLC) broke up the shutout bid by Colonel starting pitcher Chase Gearing in the sixth on a solo home run by shortstop Evan Keller, a graduate student from Destrehan, Louisiana. The two-out blast off the top of the scoreboard in left field was his third homer of the season.
The Lions cut down the deficit even more in the seventh. A two-out single by designated hitter Pierce Leavengood kept the inning alive and left fielder Tristan Welch was hit by a 3-2 pitch, putting a pair on. Bryce Grizzaffi, a junior catcher from Morgan City, Louisiana, then launched a three-run homer down the left-field line.
With the Lions trailing, 6-4, entering the eighth, Nicholls extended its lead again with a pair of solo home runs. Three more Colonel runs in the ninth wrapped up the scoring.
Gearing (3-1) earned the win, allowing four runs in 6.2 innings pitched. He allowed five hits and hit one batter, striking out three. Hunter O’Toole (1-3) suffered the loss, allowing five runs – four earned – in four innings of work.
Leavengood (2-for-3) had a pair of hits for Southeastern, recording his second multi-hit game in the last three.
SLU’s skid has reached six straight, equaling the longest stretch under head coach Matt Riser. The 2014 Lions lost six consecutive games, April 22-30, before rebounding to win the Southland Tournament title during Riser’s first season.
UP NEXT
The series wraps up Sunday at 1 p.m. Nicholls will start senior right-hander Nick Heckman (0-1, 3.44) and SLU will counter with redshirt junior right-hander Hayden Robb (0-2, 6.88). The game will air on ESPN+.
Southeastern’s annual Baseball Alumni Day will be held in conjunction with Sunday’s game. A pregame reunion for all baseball alumni and staff will be held before the game at 11:30 a.m. and there will be on-field recognition prior to the first pitch. Baseball alums interested in attending should RSVP with Allie Crain in the LAA office at allie.crain@southeastern.edu.
Fans in the Hammond area can listen to the game on the flagship station of the Southeastern Sports Radio Network – KSLU 90.9 FM – in addition to online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via both the Lions Gameday Experience, Mixlr and MyTuner Radio apps. The MyTuner app is compatible with the Apple CarPlay software available in most late model automobiles. Fans should search for SLU Athletics (Mixlr) or Southeastern Sports Radio Network (MyTuner).
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.
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.
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
Nicholls 11, Southeastern 4 (Mar 26, 2022 at Hammond, La.)
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Nicholls ………… 004 110 023 – 11 12 0 (12-9, 2-0 SLC)
Southeastern ….. 000 001 300 – 4 6 1 (8-15, 0-2 SLC)
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Pitchers: Nicholls – Gearing, Chase; Vial Jr., David (7); Desandro, Devin (8) and Collura, Jaden. Southeastern – O’Toole, Hunter; Lauve, Lance (5); Aspholm, Dalton (9); Reynolds, Reid (9) and Grizzaffi, Bryce.
Win-Gearing, Chase (3-1) Loss-O’Toole, Hunter (1-3) T-2:25 A-1172
HR NICH – Washington, Xane (5); Paz, Alec (3); Collura, Jaden (1); Williams, Basiel (1).
HR SLU – Keller, Evan (3); Grizzaffi, Bryce (1).
Weather: 79 Sunny, W 4 mph
{Courtesy: release from Southeastern Athletics}