Box Score
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HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The Lions fell behind early but scored three times in the seventh to take the lead as the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team (24-17, 13-9 Southland Conference) rallied past a red-hot Sam Houston State squad (28-14, 14-8 SLC) for a 5-3 win on Friday night.
The Lions' 16th come-from-behind win of the season snapped a two-game losing streak for Southeastern and snapped a ten-game winning streak for the Bearkats, the longest streak in Sam Houston's NCAA Division I history (dating back to 1986).
Southeastern fell behind early as SHSU scored a pair of runs with two outs to take a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
However, Southeastern junior right handed starter Ryan Boudreaux settled in after that. The LSU-Eunice transfer and Gonzales, La. native kept the best-hitting team in the SLC off the board in each of the next six innings, retiring eight straight batters at one point.
Meanwhile, the Lions got to work against SHSU's Sean Weatherford. The Lions got on the board in the fourth as senior second baseman Ty Summerlin drilled a leadoff double down the left field line. Senior left fielder Brandon Street followed with a run-scoring single for his team-leading 42nd RBI of the season as the Lions headed to the fifth down just 2-1.
After trading zeroes with the Bearkats in the fifth and sixth, the Lions took their first lead of the ballgame in the seventh. Sophomore catcher Josh Cryer doubled with one out and took third on a wild pitch. Junior right fielder Philip Freeman drew a walk to put runners at the corners, and sophomore first baseman Joe Sparacino drilled a two-run double down the left field line to give Southeastern a 3-2 lead.
The Lions added one more on a sacrifice fly by junior designated hitter Chris Ernest to make it 4-2, and Southeastern added some insurance on an RBI infield single by Cryer in the eighth to give the Lions a 5-2 advantage.
The Bearkats threatened in the eighth as Nick Zaleski singled with one out. Junior closer Chris Franklin moved over from third base, but a double by Jon Reed and a walk to Tyler Knight loaded the bases. An RBI groundout by Matt Wyatt made it 5-3, but Franklin induced a groundout from Ryan Mooney to strand the tying run at second.
Franklin, who entered the week tied for seventh in the nation with nine saves, came back out to record the final three outs and nail down his tenth save of the season.
The Lions will look to clinch a series win over the Bearkats when they return to action in game two on Saturday. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. at Don Sanders Stadium in Huntsville, Texas.
