Lions Set to Renew Senator's Cup Rivalry with Tulane

Southeastern looks to extend win streak against rival Green Wave

The Lions will look to bring a high-powered offense into Tuesday's contest at Tulane

HAMMOND - After completing a three-game sweep over in-state and conference rival McNeese State over the weekend, the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team (10-6, 4-2 Southland Conference) will look to pick up where it left off on Tuesday when the Lions open the 2009 Senator's Cup Series at Tulane (11-7).

Southeastern will try to extend its winning streak to a season-long four games, give head coach Jay Artigues his 100th win as Lion head coach, and improve on last season's series against the Green Wave, which saw Southeastern go 1-2 against Tulane when the two squads meet at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium in New Orleans on Teusday.

Southeastern dropped a 12-inning affair to the Green Wave by a score of 4-3 on Feb. 26 of last year before claiming a 12-11 victory at home on March 25. However, the Green Wave claimed the 2008 Senator's Cup with a 4-1 win in New Orleans on April 15.

However, the Lions enter Tuesday's series opener winners of four of their last five contests and riding the momentum of a three-game win streak.

After falling behind the Cowboys in each of the series' three games, Southeastern utilized a relentless offense and a dominating bullpen to rally and sweep McNeese.

Freshman designated hitter Cody Gougler led the way for the Lions by extending his hitting streak to ten games and going 6-for-11 (.545 BA) against the Cowboys. The Huntsvill, Texas native went 3-for-4 with three RBI on Saturday and went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI, including the game winner, n Sunday's finale.

Sophomore catcher Josh Cryer also enters the contest swinging a hot bat. The Leesville, La. native hit .500 (5-for-10) with a double, an RBI and five runs scored.

The Lion pitching staff found its stride over the weekend as well, holding the best-hitting team in the Southland Conference to just a .232 team batting average during the three-game set.

Senior right hander Ryan Collins led the way for the Lion staff, coming out of the bullpen twice in the series to nail down a save in Friday's opener and a win in Sunday's finale. The Chalmette native did not allow a run in 6.1 IP and earned SLC Pitcher of the Week honors for his efforts.

Senior right hander Chris Cappo gets the nod for the Lions on Tuesday night. Cappo, who will be looking to regain the form that saw him earn the Friday night starter's job during fall practice, will face off against Tulane southpaw Taylor Rogers.

The two squads will head to Hammond for game two of the three-game series on Wednesday. First pitch for both contests is set for 6 p.m. Live stats and streaming audio play-by-play for both games will be available online at www.LionSports.net and both contests can be heard on the air in the Hammond area on KSLU 90.9 FM.

The finale of the three-game 2009 Senator's Cup series is set for April 14 at Tulane.

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