HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana was back in midseason form Friday, executing all the game's major facets on the way to a 7-2 nonconference win over Stony Brook in the opener of a three-game series at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
The Lions (1-4) rode the arm of Corey Gaconi, power bats of Preston Faulkner and Nick Ray, and the swift feet Brennan Breaud, Nathan Pilutti and Bryce Steckler to their first win of the season.
 
Stony Brook (2-2) took an early lead on a solo home run in the second inning by first baseman Chris Hamilton, but the Lions answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to tie the score.
 
Ray, a redshirt freshman from Jefferson, Louisiana, gave Southeastern the lead in the fourth, lining a solo home run over the left-field fence. The two-out shot was his second in as many games, making him the first Lion since Evan Pace (May 12-13, 2018) last season to homer in back-to-back games.
 
Faulkner, a sophomore from Denham Springs, Louisiana, provided what would eventually prove to be the game-winning run with two out in the fifth. Faulkner's solo home run to deep left-center field was the first of his Lion career.
 
Southeastern extended its lead with a pair of runs in the sixth.
 
In the seventh, a pair of steals by Pilutti, who entered the game as the national leader, and one by Steckler helped generate another run.
 
After the Seawolves scored in the eighth, Southeastern reclaimed the run in the bottom half of the inning. Breaud singled to left-center and then promptly swiped his first bag of the season. He scored on a two-out single to center off the bat of Kyle Schimpf.
 
Gaconi (1-0) earned the win, limiting Stony Brook to one run in seven innings of work. The senior from Metairie, Louisiana, scattered seven hits and did not walk a batter. He fanned eight, one shy of tying his career high.
 
Seawolf starting pitcher Greg Marino (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing five runs in 5.1 innings of work.
 
Schimpf (3-for-5), Breaud (2-for-4) and Pilutti (2-for-5) paced the Lion hitters, each turning in multihit performances. Cody Grosse drove in three, tying his career best, and Ray plated a pair, upping his team-leading RBI total to 10 so far in 2019.
 
The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. The Lions are scheduled to send sophomore right-hander Will Warren (0-0, 12.46) to the mound opposite Stony Brook junior righty Brian Herrmann (0-0, 9.64).

A free video stream of Saturday's contest may be viewed through the Southland Conference Digital Network. In addition to a web broadcast, fans may use the Southland Conference app to watch Saturday's game on their favorite mobile, tablet or smart TV device. The Southland's app is available from both the Apple Store and Android Market, in addition to versions for Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Android TV and Roku.
 
Fans can also keep up with all the action through live statistics or by following @SLUathletics on Twitter. Web links to the video broadcast, stats, promotions and tickets are available on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics has instituted a clear bag policy for all ticketed events, effective with the start of the 2018 fall semester. The policy mirrors safety precautions taken upon entrance to professional and collegiate sporting venues throughout the country. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/Clear.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Single-game tickets can be purchased online at www.LionSports.net/Tickets or by contacting the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Fridays.

General Admission tickets for Lion home games are $9 for adults and $6 for children (ages 3-12). Southeastern students are admitted free with a valid university ID card.
 
The ticket booth at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field opens exactly one hour before first pitch.

LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The new Lions Gameday Experience app puts audio, stats, video, social media and more in the hands of fans. Those in attendance can also check in to earn reward points redeemable for Southeastern-related prizes. Available for both Android and iOS devices, it can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.
 
DIAMOND CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the baseball program are encouraged to join the Diamond Club. Lion baseball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.
 
All membership fees and donations to both the Diamond Club and S Club (baseball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern baseball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lions Baseball, follow @LionUpBaseball or @MattRiser17 on Twitter,  @LionUpBaseball on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.