NEW ORLEANS, La. – Southeastern Louisiana rallied for four runs in the eighth Tuesday and then held off a late charge by No. 27-ranked Tulane for a 7-6 victory at Greer Field at Turchin Stadium, sweeping the season series against the Green Wave.
The Lions (23-7) scored first, picking up single runs in both the fourth and fifth innings. Tulane (19-9) rallied for a pair of runs in the sixth to tie the game.
First baseman Grant Witherspoon ripped a triple to dead center to lead off the inning and scored on an RBI double by designated hitter Jeremy Montalbano. After moving up on a bunt single by Lex Kaplan, Montalbano scored when ball four to pinch hitter Matt Rowland kicked away for a wild pitch.
Right-hander
Cliff Hurst, the third Lion pitcher of the inning, got Richard Carthon to hit into a double play to end the inning.
Southeastern grabbed the lead back in the seventh, 3-2, off Green Wave reliever Dan Rankin, who walked right fielder
Webb Bobo to plate the go-ahead run.
Tulane responded with three runs in the bottom of the inning, taking a 5-3 lead.
Left fielder Jarret DeHart and shortstop Stephen Alemais drew back-to-back walks to open up the inning off Hurst. Southeastern cut down DeHart at third on a fielder's choice before reliever
Derrick Mount (1-1) walked Witherspoon to load the bases.
Alemais scored on a wild pitch before Montalbano drove in a pair with a triple to center.
Southeastern answered with four runs of its own in the eighth to take the lead back again, 7-5.
Left fielder
Drew Avans led off the inning with a double to left-center, his third of four hits in the game, chasing Rankin in favor of right-hander Trevor Simms (4-1). Simms hit Lion pinch hitter
Sam Roberson with a pitch, putting a pair on.
Taylor Schwaner beat out a sacrifice bunt and all three runners advanced, Avans scoring, when Witherspoon's throw back to first base skipped down the line.
With one out shortstop
Brennan Breaud ripped an RBI single to right, driving in Roberson to tie the game, and Fisher plated Schwaner with a sacrifice fly down the left-field line.
Designated hitter
Daniel Midyett drew a walk, chasing Simms. Bobo greeted lefty reliever Christian Colletti with a hot-smash, RBI single through the right side to drive in Breaud for the Lions' final run.
Southeastern closer
Kade Granier worked a scoreless eighth, but ran in to a bit of trouble in the ninth. The sophomore right-hander surrendered his first run of the season in 16-plus innings of work, but struck out the Green Wave's leading home-run hitter with a pair of runners on base to end the game.
Mount earned the win, surrendering one run in his one inning of work, and Granier earned his third save of the season. Simms suffered the loss, his first.
Avans (4-for-5), Breaud (3-for-5), Bobo (2-for-4) and Schwaner (2-for-5) led Southeastern at the plate.
The Lions defeated Tulane earlier in the season, 13-4, in Hammond, Louisiana, back on March 2.
Southeastern returns to Southland Conference play Friday at 6:30 p.m. against Northwestern State in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
Southeastern La. 7, Tulane 6 (Apr 05, 2016 at New Orleans, La.)
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Southeastern La..... 000 110 140 - 7 13 1 (23-7)
Tulane.................... 000 002 301 - 6 11 3 (19-9)
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Pitchers: Southeastern La. - Cashman, Pat; Robinson, Payton (6); Hurst, Cliff (6); Mount, Derrick (7); Granier, Kade (8) and Eades, Chris; Roberson, Sam. Tulane - France, J.P.; Bjorngjeld, Sam (5); Massey, Alex (6); Rankin, Dan (7); Simms, Trevor (8); Colletti, Christian (8); Montalbano, Jeremy (8); Yandel, Tim (9) and Rogers, Jake.
Win-Mount, Derrick (1-1) Save-Granier, Kade (3) Loss-Simms, Trevor (4-1) T-3:42 A-2314
Weather: 78 degrees, clear, ENE 9 mph
Cashman, P. faced 2 batters in the 6th.
Hurst, C. faced 2 batters in the 7th.
Rankin faced 1 batter in the 8th.
Colletti faced 1 batter in the 8th.
