Box Score
HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana watched an early lead sail out of the ballpark Friday, but the Lions clawed back to defeat UT-Arlington in the first game of a Southland Conference series, 8-7.
Southeastern pounded out 15 hits as every starter hit safely.
Brock Hebert (16 games),
Jonathan Pace (14 games) and
Cody Gougler (10 games) all extended hitting streaks.
Joseph Koon (3-0) earned the win with three shutout-innings of relief.
The Mavericks (13-9, 3-4 Southland) overcame an early Southeastern lead with a four-run fifth inning. With one out and the Lions leading 4-1, shortstop Ryan Walker singled up the middle and scored all the way from first on right fielder Preston Beck's double to right-center. Cleanup hitter Michael Guerra drew a walk and then designated hitter Matt Shortall, a Tulane transfer, homered off the scoreboard in left field.
Southeastern (16-6, 4-3 Southland) would eventually fall behind 7-4, but the Lions never pressed the panic button.
With a single run in the seventh inning, Southeastern chased Maverick starting pitcher Collin Reynolds from the game. The Lions scored a pair of runs off reliever Michael Morales in the eighth to tie the game, 7-7.
Harry Slade led off the ninth with a single to right field and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by designated hitter
Michael Rutland. UTA then elected to intentionally walk Hebert, setting up a force. Having just extended his hitting streak the previous inning with a triple, Pace drove home the winning run with a one-out single down the right field line.
First pitch for the second game of the series is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
UTA will send the national leader in victories, Lance Day (6-0, 2.77), to the mound and the Lions will counter with left-hander
Jordan Hymel (3-1, 2.30). Last time out, Hymel tossed a career-high 7.2 innings to pick up a 3-1 conference win at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and live statistics will be available at www.LionSports.net.
LINE SCORE
UT Arlington........ 000 142 000 - 7 9 3 (13-9, 3-4 SLC)
Southeastern La.... 200 200 121 - 8 15 0 (16-6, 4-3 SLC)
Reynolds, Morales (7), Boydston (8), Nack (8), Westbrook (9) and McCall. Cutura, Hills (6), Koon (7) and Fisher. W – Koon (3-0). L – Westbrook (0-1). E – Morrow (1), Hill (5), Sibley (2). LOB - UTA 8, SLU 7. 2B – Beck (3), Morrow (1), Hebert (13), Gougler (7). 3B – Pace (1). HR – Shortall (3). SH – Rutland (5), Rhodes (3). SF – Walker (1), McCall (2), Pace (3). SB – Slade (7), Hebert 2 (21). CS – Slade (5), Hebert (2). T-2:59. A – 911.
