HAMMOND, La. – In a game of multiple lead changes, Southeastern Louisiana scored in the bottom of the eighth inning Tuesday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field to knock off the University of Louisiana at Monroe, 7-6, for its fifth-straight win.
Southeastern (20-7) had already come from behind three times in the game to either tie or take the lead over ULM (12-10) when it scored the winning run in the eighth on a play at the plate.
The Warhawks scored first, pushing across a single run in the second inning on a pair of doubles, but Southeastern answered with a run of its own in the bottom half of the inning.
Ryan Byers bounced a double down the left-field line with two outs and scored on
Webb Bobo's single over the shortstop's glove into left to tie the game.
ULM came right back to take the lead in the top of the third when first baseman Danny Springer doubled in two, putting the Warhawks up 3-1 in the game.
The Lions wasted no time responding.
Jacob Seward singled to right field leading off the bottom of the third.
Jacob Williams drew a walk and Seward moved to third on a pair of wild pitches during Williams' plate appearance.
With runners on the corners and no outs,
Daniel Midyett lined a 2-0 pitch over the right-field wall for his Southland Conference-leading sixth home run of the season. The three-run shot staked Southeastern to a 4-3 lead.
Seward started another run-scoring rally for the Lions in the fourth. With two outs, the sophomore from New Orleans, Louisiana, singled up the middle. He advanced to second on Williams bunt hit to third base. Midyett was then hit by a pitch to load the bases.
With a 1-0 count on
Kevin Carr at the plate, Seward got a great jump on Warhawk reliever Keegan Curtis and stole home. Williams and Midyett followed as the Lions executed a triple steal.
ULM would not go away quietly, however, scoring an unearned run in the fifth and then taking back the lead with a pair of sixth-inning runs.
Southeastern tied the game, and almost took the lead, in the seventh. Williams led off the inning with a single to left and then stole second base. He scored to tie the game, 6-6, on
Brett Hoffman's two-out single up the middle.
With
Chris Eades at the plate next, Hoffman almost scored from first to give the Lions the lead. He took off for second on a wild pitch and the throw from the catcher sailed into center field, allowing Hoffman to head for third. Charging in, center fielder Nathan Pugh misplayed the ball, and coach
Matt Riser waved Hoffman home. Backing up the play, right fielder Justin Stawychny hit the cutoff man on the throw back in and the relay to the plate was in time to catch Hoffman to end the inning.
The Lions took the lead for good in the eighth. Byers drew a one-out walk and advanced to third on Bobo's single past the first baseman.
Julian Service, pinch-running for Bobo, stole second to put a pair of runners in scoring position for
Kennon Menard.
Menard chopped a grounder to first and the throw home beat Byers, but ULM catcher Dalton Todd dropped the ball allowing Byers to score the eventual winning run.
Kade Granier (3-1), the fifth of six Lions pitchers in the game, earned the win with 1.2 innings of scoreless relief. Domenick Carlini earned his second save, in as many outings, working a scoreless ninth to nail down the win. Josh Leone (1-1) was the hard-luck loser, surrendering an unearned run in his only inning of work.
Seward (3-for-4) tied a career high with three hits. Bobo (2-for-4), Byers (2-for-3) and Williams (2-for-4) also turned in multi-hit performances at the plate for the Lions.
Southeastern returns to conference play Friday 6 p.m. against Nicholls State in the opener of a three-game series. The split series will be played Friday and Sunday (1 p.m.) in Thibodaux, Louisiana, and Saturday (3 p.m.) in Hammond.
Southeastern La. 7, Louisiana-Monroe 6 (Mar 24, 2015 at Hammond, La.)
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Louisiana-Monroe.... 012 012 000 - 6 11 2 (12-10)
Southeastern La........ 013 100 11X - 7 12 3 (20-7)
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Pitchers: Louisiana-Monroe - Bouchey, Brayden; Curtis, Keegan (3); Leone, Josh (8) and Todd, Dalton. Southeastern La. - Cashman, Pat; Keller, Kyle (3); Bethel, Dreagan (6); Avans, Drew (6); Granier, Kade (7); Carlini, Domenick (9) and Eades, Chris.
Win-Granier, Kade (3-1) Save-Carlini, Domenick (2) Loss-Leone, Josh (1-1) T-2:56 A-722
HR SLU - Midyett, Daniel (6).
Weather: 73 Partly Cloudy, S 6 mph
Bouchey, B. faced 3 batters in the 3rd.
