Box Score Box Score
HAMMOND – Jeff Harkensee and
Justin Boudreaux each belted home runs and
Tyler Watkins pitched 7.2 solid innings to lead Southeastern Louisiana to an 8-4 victory over McNeese State in a Southland Conference contest Sunday afternoon at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
Jonathan Pace collected two hits to extend his hitting streak to 17 games as Southeastern (13-7, 4-2 SLC) snapped a three-game losing streak. McNeese State fell to 12-8 overall and 4-2 in league play.
“I thought it was real important to come out, get the lead today and take some pressure off our guys,” Southeastern head coach
Jay Artigues said. “
Tyler Watkins set the tone today on the mound and pitched very well for us, and today we got the big hits which we haven't gotten in a few games.”
Southeastern scored three runs in the first inning as
Cass Hargis led off the frame with a double before moving to third on Pace's single that glanced off the glove of Cowboy second baseman Trey Rickrode.
Boudreaux put the Lions ahead, 1-0, when his chopper in front of the plate was fielded by catcher Shea Daly, whose throw to first sailed over the head of Kyler Crenshaw for a two-base error.
Harkensee followed with an RBI single to right off McNeese starter Phil Parcell (2-1) that drove in Pace and Boudreaux would score one batter later when
Josh Cryer grounded into a double play.
After McNeese cut the lead to 3-1 in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Rickrode, Southeastern increased its lead to 5-1 in the bottom half of the frame when Boudreaux led off with a single and Harkensee hit his seventh home run of the season over the right-field wall.
Pace, who went 2-for-4 at the plate, added an RBI single in the fourth inning for Southeastern before Boudreaux followed with a two-run homer to left that gave the Lions an 8-1 lead.
Watkins (4-0) scattered five hits and struck out five in earning the win for Southeastern. The right-hander got into a jam in the eighth inning after Blake Ellender reached on an error and Jace Peterson drew a walk. Watkins then ended his day as he got Lee Orr to hit into a 6-4-3 double play before
Stefan Lopez pitched the final 1.1 innings with a strikeout.
Harkensee and Boudreaux each went 2-for-4 at the plate to lead Southeastern, which collected eight hits but was held in check over the final 4.1 innings by Cowboy reliever Ryan Sampere.
Parcell allowed eight hits and eight runs – six earned – in 3.2 innings before Sampere retired 12 of the final 14 batters he faced without allowing a hit. Ellender went 1-for-4 with two RBI for McNeese State while Renny Weber added a ninth-inning single to extend his hitting streak to nine games.
Southeastern will return to action on Tuesday when it plays host to UNO in a 6 p.m. contest. The meeting will be the first between the schools since 2005 and is one of four games scheduled in 2011.
Tickets are available by calling the Southeastern Athletic Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466 or on-line at www.LionSports.net.
McNeese State....... 001 030 000 - 4 5 1 (12-9, 4-2 SLC)
Southeastern La..... 302 300 00x - 8 8 2 (13-7, 4-2 SLC)
Parcell, Sampere (4) and Daly. Watkins, Lopez (8) and Fisher. W – Watkins (4-0). L - Parcell (2-1). E – Daly (2), Pace (7), Martin (3). DP – McNeese State 1, SLU 2. LOB – McNeese State 3, SLU 3. 2B – Ellender (5), Hargis (5). HR – Boudreaux (4), Harkensee (7). HBP – Hebert 2, Martin. SH – Daly (2), Martin (8). SF – Rickrode (1). CS – Hebert (2). T - 2:09. A – 864.
