HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana outlasted McNeese in a wild game, 13-9, Saturday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field, forcing a split of the four-game Southland Conference series.
 
The Lions (18-10, 11-5 Southland), who regained sole possession of first place in the Southland standings, overcame a pair of deficits and held off a late McNeese (14-13, 8-7 Southland) rally.
 
Christian Garcia started the scoring with a two-run home run in the second inning. The shot to left-center field, his third of the season, came after Nick Ray drew a leadoff walk. After back-to-back walks followed the homer, McNeese head coach Justin Hill went to the bullpen for the second of the eight pitchers he used in the game.
 
The Cowboys responded with three runs in the third, taking the lead. A leadoff triple and a sacrifice fly produced one run. A single and a two-run homer pushed McNeese in front.
 
Southeastern regained the lead in the fourth. Jacob Burke drove a two-out single through a wide-open right side of the infield, plating Evan Keller and Tyler Finke.
 
McNeese bounced back with two more runs in the fifth, taking the lead back, but the Lions took advantage of several freebies to score three in the fifth and six more in the sixth inning.
 
Cowboy pitchers combined to walk eight and hit nine batters, tying a Southeastern record for most HBPs in a single game. Tyler Finke was hit by a pitch three times, tying a Lion individual record last accomplished by Kyle Schimpf on April 21, 2018.
 
A three-run home run sparked a four-run eighth for McNeese, but Noah Hughes retired all three batters he faced in the ninth to close out the series finale.
 
Brennan Stuprich (2-1) earned the win, allowing five runs – four earned – in five innings. He surrendered eight hits and one walk, striking out six batters. McNeese reliever Cameron Meeks (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing three unearned runs without recording an out.
 
Burke (2-for-5), Garcia (2-for-4) and Keller (2-for-5) each produced multiple hits for Southeastern.
 
RADIO SHOW
The next episode of Inside Southeastern Baseball with Matt Riser, presented by Blackened Brew, will be broadcast Monday at 12 p.m. from the restaurant in downtown Hammond. Fans can listen to every show on KSLU 90.9 FM, online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via either the Lions Gameday Experience or TuneIn Radio apps. The one-hour show airs every Monday during the baseball season.
 
UP NEXT
Southeastern wraps up its eight-game homestand next weekend, hosting Abilene Christian (16-11, 8-8 Southland) at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. Games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday, a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. Saturday and a single game at 1 p.m. Sunday. The first game of the doubleheader is slated to be a seven-inning contest. If the first game goes extra innings, the second game would then become a seven-inning affair.
 
All remaining home games are scheduled to be broadcast on ESPN+.
 
TICKET INFORMATION
Baseball single-game tickets, for games during April, are currently on sale. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to minimize ticket lines on game days. Southeastern students are encouraged to contact the ticket office prior to the game to reserve theirs in advance.
 
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 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Fridays. The ticket booth at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field opens exactly one hour prior to the scheduled first pitch.

MOBILE TICKETING
Southeastern is implementing mobile ticketing as the primary method for securing tickets during the 2020-21 school year. Tickets will be available via text message or email in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet. 
 
GAMEDAY PARKING
Gameday parking during the 2021 season is $5 per day for Southeastern baseball, while football parking is $25 per day for most vehicles and $85 for RVs.
 
CLEAR BAG POLICY
Southeastern Athletics enforces a clear bag policy for all ticketed events. The policy mirrors safety precautions required for entrance to professional and collegiate sporting venues throughout the country. For more information on the clear bag policy, visit www.LionSports.net/Clear.
 
SOCIAL DISTANCING ON GAMEDAYS
Proper social distancing techniques are required at all athletic events. Fans are asked to maintain a minimum distance of six feet from others, wear a face covering over both their nose and mouth, and wash their hands frequently. Hand sanitizing stations are located throughout Southeastern's athletic facilities.
 
While tailgating is currently prohibited, current health and safety guidelines set forth by state and local officials due to the COVID-19 pandemic allow for 25 percent capacity at athletic events. Capacity will be adjusted as state guidelines allow.
 
LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The 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 or by following the link www.LionSports.net/App.
 
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.