LAKE CHARLES, La. – Home runs by Connor Manola and Evan Pace powered Southeastern Louisiana to a 12-3 nonconference win Tuesday over McNeese at Joe Miller Ballpark.
 
Southeastern (19-18) improved to 15-4 against the Cowboys (19-18) during the Matt Riser era.
 
McNeese jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first, but the Lions answered with their first big inning.
 
Nathan Pilutti greeted reliever Brett Payne with a single off the glove of the third baseman, opening up the second. Trey Harrington hit a grounder to second, but Cowboy shortstop Reid Bourque dropped the throw. Pace followed with his second homer of the season, a towering blast to deep left-center field.
 
 Following the home run, Payne retired Brennan Breaud but hit Manola with a pitch and walked Cody Grosse. Reliever Bryan King then surrendered an RBI double to Preston Faulkner and a sac fly to Kyle Schimpf.
 
The Lions added four runs in the fourth. Reliever Brad Kincaid opened up the inning by hitting Breaud with a pitch, putting him on in front of Manola. The redshirt freshman from Port Allen, Louisiana, followed with the first home run of his career. Kincaid then issued back-to-back walks to Grosse and Faulkner. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position. Schimpf grounded out to plate Grosse. Nick Ray greeted reliever Zach Rider with an RBI single to center, driving in the final run of the inning.
 
McNeese picked up a run without the benefit of a hit in the fifth but never pulled any closer. A two-run single by Harrington in the eighth and an RBI double by Faulkner in the ninth completed the scoring.
 
Payton Robinson (1-0), the second of six Southeastern pitchers, picked up the win. The senior from Mobile, Alabama, tossed three scoreless innings, striking out a pair. Payne (1-2), the second of seven Cowboy hurlers, was tagged with the loss.
 
Faulkner (4-for-5) and Pilutti (2-for-5) turned in multihit performances, with Faulkner smacking a career-high three doubles.
 
Southeastern returns home Thursday and Friday to Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field, hosting Nicholls in the first two games of a conference series at 6 p.m. The series opener is a Cane's Challenge. If the Lions score five or more runs, all fans in attendance can redeem their game ticket or student coupon at their local participating Raising Cane's to receive a free combo with the purchase of another of equal or greater value.
 
Following Thursday's game, the Easter Egg Hunt presented by Party Barn, originally scheduled for Super Lion Saturday, will be held at the ballpark.
 
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. The ticket booth at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field opens exactly one hour before first pitch.

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.
 
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.
 
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.