Box Score Box Score
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana's
Cody Gougler hit a game-tying, one-out double in the seventh inning that helped the Lions erase a 6-0 deficit and
Brock Hebert added a RBI triple in the eighth in an 8-6 victory over Sam Houston State in a Southland Conference game Saturday afternoon at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
Southeastern (35-14, 17-9 Southland), which rallied to win from its largest deficit of the year, moved to within two games of league leader Texas State, a 5-2 loser at McNeese State, in the Southland Conference standings. The Lions' previous best rally came against UTSA on March 12 when they turned an 8-3 deficit into a come-from-behind 10-9 win.
Southeastern and Sam Houston State (17-31, 9-17 Southland) conclude their three-game series on Sunday in a 1 p.m. contest. The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the internet at www.LionSports.net.
Senior right-hander
Chris Franklin (7-4) tossed his third straight complete game in as many starts for Southeastern despite giving up all six runs – three unearned – and allowing nine hits.
“
Chris Franklin was the story of this game,” Southeastern head coach
Jay Artigues said. “He got down 6-0 after four innings, but kept competing and putting up zeroes the rest of the way to give our offense a chance to come through.”
SHSU took a 2-0 lead three batters into the game when Chris Andreas' two-run single scored Greg Olson and Braeden Riley. The Bearkats scored four more runs in the fourth inning as they sent nine men to the plate and built a 6-0 lead.
“It was tough giving up six runs, but we got back in the game with some runs back in the fourth,” Franklin said. “Our defense played great, they made a lot of diving stops and picked us up when we needed them to the most and that was the big difference in the ballgame.”
Mark Hudson and Taylor Davis led off the inning with singles before Hudson scored from second on an attempted sacrifice bunt by Ryan Mooney. Mooney reached when Franklin's throw sailed past first base, sending Mooney to second. Tyler Fiebrich struck out but reached first on a passed ball to load the bases and Michael Hilliard followed with a two-run single for a 5-0 lead.
Riley, who went 3-for-5 to lead SHSU, added an RBI single that drove in Fiebrich, but Franklin settled down allowing two hits over the final 5.1 innings.
Southeastern rallied quickly in the bottom of the fourth as it sent nine men to the plate and closed the SHSU lead to 6-5.
Jeff Harkensee and Gougler reached on singles before
Joe Sparacino singled two batters later to load the bases.
Chris Ernest followed with an RBI single to put the Lions on the board before Hebert hit a two-run single and
Trey Martin followed with a two-run double just inside the third-base line.
The Lions tied the game in the seventh after
Justin Boudreaux led off the inning with a bunt single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Harkensee. Gougler greeted SHSU reliever Justin Jackson (1-4) with a double off the wall in right field that scored Boudreaux and knotted the game at 7-7.
After Franklin retired the Bearkats in order in the eighth, Southeastern took the lead for good in the bottom half of the frame scoring a pair of runs. Ernest hit a one-out single through the left side before Hebert, a true freshman, belted his first career triple to right-center field to drive in pinch-runner
Alex Marse before scoring one batter later on Martin's high chopper to first.
“I've been working hard with (assistant) Coach (Matt) Riser trying to get back to my plan and it came back today,” Hebert, who finished 2-for-4, said. “The team is working real hard at getting on base and when that happens, it's my job to drive them in and I just kept working hard and things just fell the right way.”
SHSU starter Brent Powers went 6.1 innings, allowing 10 hits and six runs with seven strikeouts. Jackson took the loss as he pitched the final 1.2 innings, allowing three hits and a pair of runs.
Sam Houston State... 200 400 000 - 6 9 0 (17-31, 9-17 SLC)
Southeastern La..... 000 500 12x - 8 13 2 (35-14, 17-9 SLC)
Powers, Jackson (7) and Hilliard. Franklin and Cryer. W - Franklin (7-4). L – Jackson (1-4). E – J. Boudreaux (13), Franklin (9). DP - SHSU 1, SLU 2. LOB - SHSU 5, SLU 5. 2B – Riley (14), Gougler (13), Martin (5). 3B – Hebert (1). SH – Mooney (4), Miller (1), Harkensee (3). SB – Cryer (4). CS – Riley (2). T - 2:27. A – 796.
