Box Score
HAMMOND – Freshman right-hander
Andro Cutura pitched a career-high 7.1 innings Thursday as Southeastern Louisiana defeated Central Arkansas, 5-4.
Cutura (3-1) earned a win for the second-consecutive start and
Stefan Lopez struck out the side in the ninth for his 12th save of the season. Lopez ties former Lion Chris Franklin for the most saves in a single season and already holds the career record (22).
The Lions (22-9, 8-5 Southland) scored single runs in the second, third and fourth innings to take a 3-2 lead. Southeastern added two more in the seventh and turned the lead over to the bullpen.
UCA (11-15, 5-8 Southland) scored first, taking a 2-0 lead in the second inning. The Bears loaded the bases with no outs and plated the runs with a pair of ground outs.
Harry Slade scored the Lions' first run on a sacrifice bunt after hitting a one-out triple to left-center field.
Brett Hoffman picked up an RBI for driving in Slade.
Southeastern tied the game in the third.
Michael Rutland drew a leadoff walk and moved to second base when
Brock Hebert was hit by a pitch.
Jonathan Pace moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt.
Cody Gougler followed with a sacrifice fly to right, driving in Rutland from third.
The Lions took the lead in the fourth. UCA starter Jeffrey Enloe (2-4), a Gonzales native, walked the leadoff hitter for the second-straight inning.
Jacob Fisher reached first on the free pass and took second on a wild pitch. Fisher scored from second on a two-out single to left by
Ladd Rhodes.
After the two-run second inning, Cutura settled down and retired 12-of-13 batters over the middle innings. He fanned the side in the seventh.
Southeastern tacked on two more runs in the seventh, but Cutura ran out of gas in the eighth. The Bears got the two runs back, once again making it a one-run game.
Dylan Hills and Lopez closed it out for the Lions. Cutura allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits and one walk. He fanned six in his 7.1 innings pitched. Enloe was saddled with the loss for UCA.
The Lions improved to 9-2 in one-run games this season.
Game two of the three-game Southland Conference series is scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. Junior left-hander
Jordan Hymel (4-2, 2.45) is slated to start on the mound for the Lions opposite UCA's Caleb McClanahan (2-2, 3.53).
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
Central Arkansas.... 020 000 020 - 4 7 0 (11-15, 5-8 SLC)
Southeastern La...... 011 100 20x - 5 7 1 (22-9, 8-5 SLC)
Enloe, Biggerstaff (7) and Snider. Cutura, Hills (8), Lopez (9) and Fisher.
W - Cutura (3-1). Sv. - Lopez(12). L - Enloe (2-4). E - Hernandez (6). DP - SLU 1. LOB - UCA 4; SLU 11. 2B - Willson (8). 3B - Davis (2), Slade (2). HBP - Hebert, Fisher. SH - Pace 2 (4), Hoffman (3). SF - Gougler 2 (6). SB - Hebert (27). T - 2:35. A - 832.
