BATON ROUGE, La. – No. 2 seed Southeastern Louisiana broke open the game with a pair of four-run innings on the way to a 12-6 win over Rice in the opening game of the NCAA Baton Rouge Regional for both teams Friday night at Alex Box Stadium.
 
Southeastern (37-20) took advantage of seven errors by Rice (31-30) to win the opening game of a regional for the first time since an 8-0 win over Hawaii in the 1992 NCAA West Regional. The 12 runs scored by SLU matched the most scored by the Lions in a regional, tying the output the 1994 team had in a 22-12 loss to UNC Greensboro in that year's South Regional.
 
With the win, the Lions move on to face host and No. 4 national seed LSU on Saturday at 7 p.m. in the winner's bracket game. The Tigers rolled past Texas Southern for a 15-7 victory earlier on Friday. Rice and TSU will meet in an elimination game Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
"We did a great job of playing fast and aggressive tonight," Southeastern head coach Matt Riser said. "We were able to make big plays in the field, on the mound and at the plate tonight and when you do that you're going to win ball games."
 
Southeastern was led at the plate by Southland Conference Player of the Year Taylor Schwaner. The junior third baseman was 3-for-5 with a home run and three runs scored. Junior Drew Avans added a team-high three runs batted, while senior Derrick Mount contributed two RBI and two runs scored.
 
Sophomore Corey Gaconi (7-5) earned the win on the mound for the Lions. The Metairie, Louisiana native tossed 6.1 innings, striking out four and giving up five runs. Junior Josh Green and sophomore Payton Robinson combined to allow one run in 2.2 innings of relief to close out the victory for Southeastern.
 
Southeastern jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Senior Ryan Byers led off the frame with a walk, then sophomore Brennan Breaud laid down a sacrifice bunt. The throw by Rice pitcher Matt Canterino (5-5) to first was wide, then Owl second baseman Tristan Gray's throw to third to try to nail Byers was high, allowing Byers to trot home with the game's first run.
 
Later in the frame, senior Carson Crites lined an RBI single to centerfield to score Breaud and stake the Lions to a 2-0 advantage.
 
Rice answered to score its first run in the top of the second off Gaconi. An RBI single by Charlie Warren put the Owls on the board, as Rice loaded the bases with no outs. Gaconi bore down to maintain the lead, as senior Jacob Seward made a nice diving catch in shallow center, then Ryan Chandler hit into an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play to keep the Lion advantage at 2-1.
 
Schwaner added to the SLU lead in the bottom of the third inning. The Slidell, Louisinaa native launched his 14^th home run of the season over the left field fence to give the Lions a 3-1 cushion.
 
Gaconi retired eight in a row before Rice evened the ledger in the top of the fifth. Dayne Wunderlich followed up an Andrew Dunlap single with his sixth home run of the season – a two-run shot over the left field wall that knotted the score at 3-3.
 
Southeastern answered in the bottom of the fifth inning with a huge two-out rally. Schwaner started things with a single, then Crites drew a walk to chase Canterino from the game.
 
Kendal Jefferies came in and promptly walked senior Webb Bobo and Mount to force in the go-ahead run. Avans then greeted the third pitcher of the inning, Addison Moss, with an infield single to score two more runs. Mount would later come home on a wild pitch by Moss to cap the inning's scoring and give SLU a 7-3 advantage.
 
Southeastern busted the game open in the bottom of the sixth inning. Schwaner doubled, Bobo walked and Mount was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Avans then hit a sharp single off Rice first baseman Darryn Sheppard to score Schwaner and Bobo. Two more Owl errors allowed Mount and Avans to score later in the frame and give SLU a commanding 11-3 lead.
 
Rice plated a pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning off Gaconi to chase the SLU starter from the contest. Green came in to get out of the inning with the Lions still holding on to a comfortable 11-5 advantage.
 
Southeastern added to its tally in the bottom of the eighth inning. Bobo reached on a two-base throwing error by Ford Proctor. Junior Trenon Trosclair replaced Bobo on the base paths, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a ground out by Mount to push the SLU advantage to 12-5.
 
Rice pulled closer with a solo home run by Dane Myers in the top of the ninth inning. The Owls would get no closer, as Robinson struck out Sheppard for the game's final out.
 
Every game of the Baton Rouge Regional will be carried live on ESPN3, ESPN's live multi-screen sports network. It is accessible online at www.WatchESPN.com, and on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN and ESPN apps. Games can also be streamed via Amazon Fire TV and the Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Sling TV, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

All of Southeastern's games in the tournament can be heard in the Hammond, Louisiana, area on KSLU 90.9 FM, and worldwide online or through the TuneIn Radio app (search for KSLU). Fans can keep up with the game through live statistics or by following @SLUathletics on Twitter.

Links for audio, video and stats are available on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
Clear Bag Policy
Fans headed to the game should be aware of LSU's Clear Bag Policy. The policy is consistent with what the NFL and other professional organizations have done for the past several years. 
 
Only clear tote bags smaller than 12" x 6" x 12" or one-gallon plastic freezer bags will be allowed in athletic venues on the LSU campus. In addition, small handheld clutch purses will be permitted into LSU venues.
 
All backpacks regardless of size are prohibited and any bags larger than 12" x 6" x 12", clear or non-clear will be strictly prohibited. Exceptions will be made for approved medical needs and diaper bags (with baby). All bags will be subject to search and inspection.
 
More information can be found at www.LSUsports.net/GeauxClear.
 
Tickets Purchase Through Southeastern Ticket Office
Fans who purchased tickets through the Southeastern Louisiana Athletic Ticket Office can pick them up at the designated Will Call table, located to the side of the ticket office on the third-base side of the stadium between Gates 2 and 3. 
 
Signage will direct fans to the correct gate. The gate may change based on ticket locations each game. Gates will open 2 hours prior to the scheduled start time of the first game of the day. The stadium is cleared following each session and will reopen prior to the second game of the day.
 
Parking Information
Free parking is available for all fans in the Hayfield Lot, Levee Lot, and Old Front Nine Lot. A shuttle services fans that park in the Hayfield Lot and drops off in front of the ticket office plaza. 
 
Handicap parking is available on a first-come, first-serve basis in the Hall of Fame Lot and Bullpen Lot. Fans can access those lots by showing their state issued handicap driver's license or handicap hangtag.
 
RV parking is available in Lot 404 and Lot 406.  RV parking is free on a first-come, first-serve basis and permits are not needed.
 
NCAA Baton Rouge Regional – June 2-5, 2017
 
Friday, June 2
Game 1 – No. 1 LSU 15, No. 4 Texas Southern 7
Game 2 – No. 2 Southeastern Louisiana 12. No. 3 Rice 6
 
Saturday, June 3
Game 3 – Texas Southern vs. Rice, 2 p.m. (WatchESPN)
Game 4 – LSU vs. Southeastern Louisiana, 7 p.m. (WatchESPN)
 
Sunday, June 4
Game 5 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser, 3 p.m. (WatchESPN)
Game 6 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 4 Winner, 8 p.m. (WatchESPN)
 
Monday, June 5
Game 7 – Game 6 Winner vs. Game 6 Loser, 6 p.m. (If necessary) (WatchESPN)