Box Score
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Ben Hernandez broke open a close game with a two-run single in the fourth inning and No. 2-seeded Southeastern Louisiana used clutch play at the plate and in the field as it defeated Texas State, 7-1, in the Southland Conference Tournament on Thursday at Bobcat Ballpark.
Dylan Hills (9-4) pitched a career-high 4.1 innings in relief for Southeastern (38-19), which capitalized on five Texas State errors and used timely hitting to score six runs with two outs in the contest. With its fourth straight win over Texas State (32-23), Southeastern continued to advance in the winner's bracket where it will face the winner of the Texas State-Stephen F. Austin game at 7 p.m. Texas State and SFA will play in an elimination game at 12 p.m.
Hernandez, who went 2-for-5 at the plate, broke open a close game when his single up the middle off Texas State starter Colton Turner (5-3) scored
Jacob Fisher and
Alex Marse to give Southeastern a 4-0 lead.
The Lions added a run in the fifth inning when
Ladd Rhodes scored on a throwing error by Isaac Nuti and
Cody Gougler scored on an unearned run in the sixth on an RBI single by Fisher.
Hill, who earned his second win against the Bobcats this season, scattered a pair of hits and allowed a run after relieving starter
Jordan Hymel in the fifth inning. The Ponchatoula native came in after the Bobcats loaded the bases against Hymel and he quickly got catcher Andrew Stumph to pop out to end the threat.
Southeastern took a 1-0 lead as it scored an unearned run in the first inning after
Harry Slade reached on a throwing error and moved to second on Hernandez's bloop single to right.
After Slade was retired at third on
Brock Hebert's attempted sacrifice bunt, Turner uncorked a wild pitch putting both runners in scoring position.
Jonathan Pace answered with a RBI grounder to give the Lions a 1-0 lead.
Slade gave Southeastern a 2-0 lead in the second inning when his two-out single scored Fisher, who went 2-for-4 at the plate and scored twice.
Southeastern collected nine hits off three Texas State pitchers with Hernandez, Gougler and Fisher getting two hits each. Texas State, which stranded 13 runners on base, was led at the plate by Tyler Sibley and Casey Kalenkosky with two hits apiece. Sibley helped Texas State avert a shutout when his two-out single scored Garrett Mattlage.
Turner, who went 3.1 innings and took the loss in Southeastern's 8-1 win over the Bobcats on April 14, went 4.0 innings for Texas State and allowed six hits and five runs – three earned.
Texas State......... 000 001 000 - 1 6 5 (32-23)
Southeastern La..... 110 211 01x - 7 9 1 (38-19)
Turner, Goebel (5), Hart (6) and Stumph, Kalenkosky (6). Hymel, Hills (5) and Fisher, Roberson (9). W – Hills (9-4). L – Turner (5-3). E - Stumph 2 (8), Nuti 2 (5), Mattlage (12), Hernandez (14). DP – SLU 1. LOB - Texas State 13, SLU 12. 2B - Mickan (6), Pace (16). HBP - Mickan, Marse. SH - Smelser (4). T - 3:10. A – 1,122.
