THIBODAUX, La. - Nicholls State took game one of an impromptu double header, but the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team (29-25, 15-15 Southland Conference) rallied to take game two, ensuring a series win over the Colonels and the number seven seed in the 2008 Southland Conference Tournament on Saturday night.

After Texas A&M Corpus Christi lost to Texas-Arlington earlier in the day, the Lions entered Saturday's first game needing one win to lock up the seventh seed in the tournament. However, the Colonels thwarted the Lions first attempt at climbing out of the eighth seed with a 4-3 win in game one.

The Lions sent junior lefty Wade Miley to the mound against Nicholls State senior right hander Bryan Myers for the first game. A pitchers' duel developed as neither side could post a run in the first five innings. After Myers turned away the Lions empty-handed in the seventh, the Colonels jumped out to a 3-0 lead.

The Lions rallied with an RBI single from redshirt freshman center fielder Cass Hargis in the seventh and a pair of runs in the eighth, but Nicholls' left fielder Shane Barksdale launched his third home run of the year in the bottom of the ninth for the 4-3 win.

Southeastern answered in game two, striking immediately in the top of the first. Hargis doubled down the left field line and came around to score on an RBI single by junior designated hitter Brandon Street to put the Lions up 1-0 after one.

Junior right fielder Brian McCants put the Lions ahead 2-0 in the second by leading off the frame with his third home run of the season down the right field line.

That would be all senior left hander Rene' LeBlanc and junior right hander Ryan Collins would need as the duo combined to shut down the Colonels in game two.

LeBlanc kept Nicholls State off the board through the first 4.0 innings, scattering three hits and walking one while notching five strikeouts, before running into a jam as an infield hit and an error put runners at first and second with nobody out in the fifth.

Collins came on and retired the next three Colonel batters to send the game to the sixth with the Lions still in front with a 2-0 lead.

Southeastern added some insurance in the top of the seventh as senior catcher Matthew Schexnayder drove in a run with an RBI single and junior second baseman Jordan D'Arensbourg legged out an RBI fielder's choice to put the Lions out in front 4-0.

Collins allowed just one run on four hits and no walks while striking out two over his 3.0 innings of work as the Lions held on for the 4-1 win in seven innings.

With the win, the Lions head into the conference tournament with a 29-25 record and a 15-15 mark in the Southland Conference. According to the latest pairings issued by the league office, the Lions are set to play second-seeded Lamar at noon on Wednesday in the Lions' first game of the conference tournament.

Southeastern's trip to Huntsville marks the Lions first trip to the league tournament since 2005 and the school's second trip since joining the SLC prior to the 1998 season. Saturday's game two win also ensures that the Lions, who finished 34-21 in 2007, will finish above .500 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1996 (34-34) and 1997 (34-24).

Game one

Score by Innings R H E
-------------------------------------------
Southeastern La..... 000 000 120 - 3 10 1
Nicholls State...... 000 003 001 - 4 7 1
-------------------------------------------

Note: 1 out, 0 runners LOB when the game ended.

E - SUMMERLIN, C(17); Kulbeth(20). DP - Southeastern 1; Nicholls 1. LOB -
Southeastern 9; Nicholls 4. 2B - HARGIS, C(13); Hoeflich 2(12). 3B -
SCHEXNAYDER(1). HR - Barksdale(3). HBP - D'ARENSBOURG; Menerey. SH - HARGIS,
C(9). SB - QUALLS, X(9). CS - HARGIS, C(5); Kulbeth(5); Barksdale(1).

Southeastern La. IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
--------------------------------------------------
Miley, Wade......... 6.0 5 3 3 4 7 19 24 95
Callender, Eric..... 2.1 2 1 1 0 3 9 9 44

Nicholls State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
--------------------------------------------------
Myers............... 9.0 10 3 3 2 8 35 39 119

Win - Myers (3-5). Loss - CALLENDER, E (0-1). Save - None.
WP - MILEY, W(16). HBP - by MILEY, W (Menerey); by Myers (D'ARENSBOURG). PB -
SCHEXNAYDER(6). Inherited runners/scored: None. Pitches/strikes: MILEY, W 95/53;
CALLENDER, E 44/29; Myers 119/78.
Umpires - HP: David Schnexayder 1B: Colin Andrews 3B: Fred Harper
Start: 6:30 pm Time: 2:48 Attendance: 1126



Game two

Score by Innings R H E
-----------------------------------------
Southeastern La..... 110 000 2 - 4 8 2
Nicholls State...... 000 000 1 - 1 7 1
-----------------------------------------

E - SUMMERLIN, T(15); SUMMERLIN, C(17); Kulbeth(21). DP - Southeastern 3;
Nicholls 1. LOB - Southeastern 3; Nicholls 6. 2B - HARGIS, C(13); B.
Boudreaux(5). HR - MCCANTS, B(3). HBP - Wray. SF - Bone(1). CS - STREET,
B(3).

Southeastern La. IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
--------------------------------------------------
LeBlanc, Rene'...... 4.0 3 0 0 1 5 15 17 62
Collins, Ryan....... 3.0 4 1 0 0 2 10 11 34

Nicholls State IP H R ER BB SO AB BF NP
--------------------------------------------------
Webster............. 4.0 3 2 2 0 3 15 15 49
Sullivan............ 1.0 2 0 0 0 2 4 4 16
Quebedeaux.......... 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 3 3 10
Hagerty............. 1.0 2 2 2 1 1 5 6 23

Win - LEBLANC, R (2-4). Loss - Webster (1-6). Save - COLLINS, R (6).
WP - Hagerty(3). HBP - by LEBLANC, R (Wray). Inherited runners/scored: COLLINS,
R 2/0. Pitches/strikes: LEBLANC, R 62/41; COLLINS, R 34/24; Webster 49/33;
Sullivan 16/10; Quebedeaux 10/7; Hagerty 23/13.
Umpires -
Start: 9:15 pm Time: 1:50 Attendance:
LEBLANC, R faced 2 batters in the 5th.