HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana knocked off the University of South Alabama for the second time this season, defeating the Jaguars 12-2 Tuesday on Military Appreciation Night at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
Southeastern (25-9) swept the season series from South Alabama (22-12).
The Lion offense clicked early.
Junior right fielder
Julian Service ripped a one-out triple into the left-center field gap in the bottom of the first. He scored on the next play as designated hitter
Daniel Midyett reached on an error by the first baseman.
Southeastern rallied for a trio of two-out runs in the second and tacked on a run in the third to go up 5-2 over the Jaguars.
The South Alabama bullpen kept the Lions at bay in the middle innings, but the Jaguars failed to solve
Pat Cashman (3-3) and a pair of Southeastern relievers.
Holding a three-run lead heading into the seventh, the Lions were looking to pick up a few insurance runs late.
Daniel Midyett and
Kevin Carr produced back-to-back singles leading off the seventh. Southeastern, which put runners on in every inning, got the leadoff hitter aboard in each of its last six trips to the plate.
Kennon Menard pushed a sacrifice bunt to third, but Bud Collura's throw to first was wild and Midyett came home to score from second. With runners at second and third, and no outs, South Alabama elected to bring in a new reliever, setting the stage for the highlight of the game.
Pinch hitter
Ryan Byers greeted left-hander Austin Stephens with a sacrifice bunt and the Lions had both runners in motion on the squeeze play. Carr scored easily from third, but as Stephens fielded and tossed the ball to first, Menard rounded the bag at third with a full head of steam. The sophomore from Lafayette, Louisiana, scored ahead of a return throw from first.
Southeastern scored added four runs in the eighth to finish out the scoring.
Cashman allowed a pair of runs, one earned, on seven hits in six innings of work to earn the win. The junior right-hander from Plainfield, Illinois, walked four and fanned a pair.
Kyle Keller worked a pair of perfect innings in relief. The senior from New Orleans, Louisiana, fanned three in his two-inning stint. Dreagan Bethel, a freshman from Walker, Louisiana, retired the side in order in the ninth.
Ryne Long (2-3), the first of six Jaguar pitchers, was saddled with the loss.
Southeastern pounded out 16 hits, its third-highest total this season. Six Lions turned in multi-hit performances, including Carr (3-for-5),
Carson Crites (2-for-2),
Brett Hoffman (2-for-3), Midyett (2-for-5), Service (2-for-6) and
Jacob Seward (2-for-5).
Seward extended his hitting streak to 11 games and his reached-base streak to 23-consecutive games.
Southeastern returns to action Friday at 7 p.m. (Central) against the University of Utah in the opener of a three-game series in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Southeastern La. 12, South Alabama 2 (Apr 07, 2015 at Hammond, La.)
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South Alabama........ 011 000 000 - 2 7 2 (22-12)
Southeastern La...... 131 000 34X - 12 16 1 (25-9)
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Pitchers: South Alabama - Long, Ryne; Cochran, Cameron (3); Van Aken, Cody (6); Stephens, Austin (7); Tatman, Seth (8); Flores, Justin (8) and Barnes, Jared; Knapp, Davis. Southeastern La. - Cashman, Pat; Keller, Kyle (7); Bethel, Dreagan (9) and Eades, Chris.
Win-Cashman, Pat (3-3) Loss-Long, Ryne (2-3) T-2:51 A-1001
Weather: 82 Mostly Cloudy, SE 9 mph
Cochran faced 1 batter in the 6th.
Van Aken faced 3 batters in the 7th.
Tatman faced 6 batters in the 8th.
