Box Score TULSA, Okla. – After a rough first inning, freshman right-hander
Tate Scioneaux settled in and kept the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team in the game as the Lions came from behind Saturday to defeat Oral Roberts, 4-3, in a Southland Conference contest.
The win evens the three-game series at one apiece heading into the series finale and Southeastern (24-12, 8-3 Southland) maintains its spot atop the conference standings. Sam Houston State, with a 7-4 win at Lamar, remains tied for first with the Lions.
Oral Roberts (10-23, 5-6 Southland) took advantage of some early wildness by Scioneaux to take a 3-0, first-inning lead. The freshman from Reserve, La., issued three of his career-high four walks in the inning and hit a pair of batters. A well-timed, bases-loaded double to left by Golden Eagle shortstop Nate Goro cleared the bases with two outs.
After hitting the lead-off hitter in the second, Scioneaux retired 13 of the next 14 hitters and allowed the Lion bats a chance to get going.
Center fielder
Kyle Cedotal drew a walk to open the third. After stealing second base, he moved to third on
Harry Slade's single to left and scored on
Jameson Fisher's RBI-single to right.
Southeastern pulled within a run in the sixth. With one out,
Sam Roberson doubled over the head of the right fielder. After taking third on a passed ball, he scored on a ground out to second by
Ladd Rhodes.
The Lions chased ORU starter Drew Bowen and tied the game on another unearned run in the seventh.
Brett Hoffman drew a lead-off walk and pinch runner
Alex Marse moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Cedotal.
Bowen couldn't pick up the bunt, which Cedotal dragged up the first-base line, putting a pair on for
Ben Hernandez. Hernandez laid down a sacrifice bunt, putting two in scoring position and forcing the Golden Eagles to dig into their bullpen.
Right-hander Alec Smith (0-3) induced Slade into a ground out to second, but Marse scored to tie the game at three apiece.
In the ninth,
Aaron Haag caught third baseman Brandon Healy playing back and laid a bunt down the third-base line. Smith, coming over to field the bunt, bobbled the ball allowing Haag to reach. Marse pushed a sacrifice bunt near the mound and the first baseman, Chris Williams, attempted to cut down Haag at second. The throw was late, putting a pair on for Cedotal.
The Lion freshman popped up a bunt. ORU catcher Jose Trevino dropped the ball, but Williams threw to third to force Haag. Hernandez struck out on a pitch in the dirt, but the Lions pulled off a delayed steal. After a throwing error by the shortstop trying to nab Cedotal heading back to first, Marse scored from third with the eventual winning run.
Mason Klotz (3-0), who relieved Scioneaux in the eighth, picked up the win. Smith was tagged with the loss. Scioneaux allowed just three hits in seven innings, walking and hitting four. He also struck out eight, one shy of his career high.
Southeastern will start sophomore right-hander
Andro Cutura (0-0, 36.00) in Sunday's 1 p.m. series finale. He will be opposed by Golden Eagle senior right-hander Tim Zufall (3-0, 2.92).
The game can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9), on the internet through the Southeastern athletics website, as well as on the KSLU iPhone and TuneIn Radio apps. Live stats, as well as a live video stream courtesy Oral Roberts, will be available. Links to audio, stats and video are located on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
Southeastern La. 4, Oral Roberts 3 (Apr 13, 2013 at Tulsa, Okla.)
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Southeastern La..... 001 001 101 - 4 5 0 (24-12, 8-3 SLC)
Oral Roberts.......... 300 000 000 - 3 3 3 (10-23, 5-6 SLC)
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Pitchers: Southeastern La. - Scioneaux, Tate; Klotz, Mason (8) and Roberson, Sam. Oral Roberts - Bowen, Drew; Smith, Alec (7) and Trevino, Jose.
Win-Klotz, Mason (3-0) Loss-Smith, Alec (0-3) T-2:24 A-415
Weather: Mostly Sunny, Breezy, 60's
Scioneaux faced 1 batter in the 8th.
