LAFAYETTE, La. – UL Lafayette jumped out to an early lead it never relinquished, defeating Southeastern Louisiana, 8-2, Tuesday night in nonconference action at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
 
The Ragin' Cajuns (14-16) manufactured a run in the second inning off Southeastern (14-14) starting pitcher Justin Simanek. After being hit by a one-out pitch, UL Lafayette right fielder Orynn Veillon stole second base and then scored on a hit-and-run single to center field.
 
Following a leadoff walk in the third, Ragin' Cajun second baseman Hunter Kasuls hit a two-run home run to deep right-center field. Simanek issued a walk to designated hitter Todd Lott before exiting in favor of reliever Grant Upton.
 
Following a single and sacrifice bunt, Lott scored on a sacrifice fly to right to put UL Lafayette up, 4-0.
 
Southeastern responded with a pair of runs in the fourth. Designated hitter Preston Faulkner worked a leadoff walk and Kyle Schimpf reached on a dropped fly ball by the left fielder. They both advanced on Brennan Breaud's groundout and scored on Trey Harrington's two-out single to center, cutting the Ragin' Cajun lead in half.
 
UL Lafayette responded with a pair of runs off Upton in the bottom half of the inning, regaining a four-run advantage.
 
The Southeastern duo of Peyton Lee and Payton Robinson combined to shut down the bats over the fifth, sixth and seventh, but the Lions could only muster two more hits off UL Lafayette pitching. The Ragin' Cajuns scratched across a pair of runs in the eighth to extend their lead to 8-2.
 
Savoy (1-0) earned the win, allowing two unearned runs on two hits in 6.2 innings pitched. He walked three, hit a batter and struck out seven. Simanek (1-1) suffered the loss, allowing four runs in two innings of work. He surrendered three hits, three walks and hit a batter, striking out three.
 
Harrington had two of the Lions three hits and drove in both Southeastern runs.
 
The teams face each other once again at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field in Hammond, Louisiana. In conjunction with Wednesday's game, the Southeastern Student Government Association is sponsoring a pregame student tailgate atop the parking garage attached to Strawberry Stadium with free food and music.
 
Wednesday's game is also a Cane's Challenge contest. 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.
 
The game can be heard in the Hammond area on the flagship station of the Southeastern Sports Radio Network, KSLU 90.9 FM, online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via both the Lions Gameday Experience and TuneIn Radio apps.
 
Fans can also keep up with all the action through live statistics or by following @SLUathletics on Twitter. Streaming video ($) will be available for Wednesday's game through LionVision. Web links to audio and video broadcasts, stats, promotions and tickets are available on the baseball schedule page at www.LionSports.net.
 
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.