HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team shut down No. 1-ranked Ole Miss, 5-1, Tuesday in non-conference action at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
It marked the third time this season Southeastern (8-9) has defeated a ranked team and the victory over Ole Miss (13-3) is the squad’s second in as many weeks over an SEC team ranked in the Top 5 nationally.
A pitchers’ duel until late, the Rebels struck first.
SLU starting pitcher Adam Guth issued a two-out walk to Ole Miss right fielder TJ McCants in the second inning, making McCants the first hitter to reach base off the left-hander. Kemp Alderman followed with a double into the left-center field gap, scoring McCants from first base.
The Lions responded in the bottom of the inning, tying up the score on a solo home run by Tyler Finke. The solo blast to left was the first of the season for the senior center field.
Guth, a freshman from Lake Charles, Louisiana, retired the side in order in the third and Southeastern responded with a run to take the lead in the bottom of the inning.
Third baseman Shea Thomas, a junior from Olympia, Washington, led off the inning with a single up the middle. An errant pickoff throw from Rebel starting pitcher Jack Washburn allowed Thomas to advance to second. With one out, Rhett Rosevear drew a walk. Washburn uncorked a pair of wild pitches while issuing another walk, the final one allowing Thomas to score the eventual winning run.
Still a one-run game in the sixth, Guth issued back-to-back walks Ole Miss’ three and four-hole hitters to open up the frame. Southeastern brought in reliever Andrew Landry to quell the rally. The sophomore right-hander from Slidell, Louisiana induced a double-play grounder and then got a flyout to work out of the jam without allowing a run.
Southeastern tacked on a pair of runs in the seventh.
Thomas led off the inning with his third hit of the night, advancing to second on Jake Johnson’s bunt single. A balk put both runners in scoring position with no outs. A pair of ground balls, leading to an error and a fielder’s choice, brought home Thomas and Johnson as the Lions went up, 4-1, over the nation’s top-ranked team.
SLU added an insurance run in the eighth. Preston Faulkner led off the inning with a massive blast to deep left-center. The solo shot was his team-leading second home run of the season.
Landry combined with Gage Trahan, a graduate student from Maurice, Louisiana, to close out the game with four shutout innings. The duo retired all 11 batters they faced, striking out four.
Guth (1-0) earned the first win of his collegiate career, allowing one run in five innings pitched. He surrendered three hits and five walks, striking out three. Washburn (2-1) suffered the loss, allowing two runs – one earned – in five innings of work.
Finke (3-for-4) and Thomas (3-for-4) both turned in multi-hit performances for the Lions.
The win is the first for Southeastern over a top-ranked team in more than two decades and it snaps an 11-game skid in the all-time series against the Rebels.
UP NEXT
Southeastern returns to the road this weekend, traveling to Birmingham, Alabama for a three-game series at Samford (7-7). Games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. All three games are slated to air on ESPN+.
The one-time Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) foes will face each other for the first time in 17 years. SLU last matched up with the Bulldogs during the 2005 season in Hammond and it will be the Lions’ first trip to Joe Lee Griffin Field in 20 years. Southeastern leads the overall series, 32-12, and has won 10 of the 19 games played at Samford.
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, Ole Miss 1 (Mar 15, 2022 at Hammond, La.)
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Ole Miss ……….. 010 000 000 – 1 3 3 (13-3)
Southeastern ….. 011 000 21X – 5 9 0 (8-9)
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Pitchers: Ole Miss – Washburn, Jack; McDaniel, Drew (6); Parenteau, Matt (7); Maddox, Riley (7); Murrell, Mitch (8) and Dunhurst, Hayden. Southeastern – Guth, Adam; Landry, Andrew (6); Trahan, Gage (9) and Grizzaffi, Bryce.
Win-Guth, Adam (1-0) Loss-Washburn, Jack (2-1) T-2:41 A-2915
HR SLU – Faulkner, Preston (2); Finke, Tyler (1).
Weather: 73 Clear, WNW 8 mph
Guth faced 2 batters in the 6th.
McDaniel faced 1 batter in the 7th.
Parenteau faced 2 batters in the 7th.
Maddox faced 1 batter in the 8th.
{Courtesy: Southeastern Athletics}