HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team rallied from a pair of deficits Thursday on its way to a 5-4 Southland Conference win over New Orleans in the opening game of the Pontchartrain Bowl at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
UNO (19-12, 6-4 SLC) jumped out to an early lead, picking up three runs in the first inning off Southeastern (14-20, 5-5 SLC) starting pitcher Hunter O'Toole.
 
SLU responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning of Privateer starter Tyler LeBlanc.
 
Evan Keller led off with a single up the middle. He was erased at second base on a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of Rhett Rosevear. Tyler Finke followed with a line-drive single to center field, sending Rosevear around to third.
 
Rosevear scored on Preston Faulkner's sacrifice fly to right field. After Shea Thomas was hit by a pitch, Champ Artigues reached on a throwing error by Privateer shortstop Tyler Bischke that allowed Finke to score from second.
 
Down in the second, 3-2, the Lions tied up the game.
 
Christian Garcia drew a leadoff walk before swiping second base. It was his eighth stolen base of the season. Bryce Grizzaffi beat out a bunt single, putting runners on the corners before LeBlanc hit Keller with a pitch to load the bases. Two batters later, Garcia scored on Finke's sacrifice fly to center.
 
After a rough first inning, O'Toole settled in to allow just one run over the next five innings. That run, though, gave UNO a 4-3 lead in the fourth.
 
Southeastern rallied once again, picking up single runs in both the fifth and sixth.
 
Faulkner helped the Lions manufacture the tying run, picking up a one-out single. He stole second and then advanced to third on a wild pitch. He scored on Thomas' RBI groundout to second.
 
Bryce Grizzaffi helped generate the winning run, ripping a one-out double down the left-field line in the sixth. He scored two batters later on Rosevear's single through the right side.
 
Relievers Hayden Robb and Gage Trahan combined for three perfect innings to close out the game and seal the Lions' eighth come-from-behind victory of the season.
 
O'Toole (2-3) earned the win, allowing four runs over six innings pitched. He scattered seven hits and four walks, striking out four. Trahan earned his fifth save, striking out one while working a scoreless ninth. UNO reliever Jack Williams (4-1) suffered the loss, allowing one run in 1.1 innings of work
 
Robb fanned three in his two-inning stint for the Lions.
 
Grizzaffi (3-for-4) turned in his second three-hit performance of the season, picking up a pair of doubles in the second half of the game.
 
Faulkner stole pair of bases, tying his career-high set three years to the day (April 14, 2019) against Northwestern State.
 
With the win, SLU moves within a game of the first-place Privateers in the conference standings.
 
UP NEXT
The Pontchartrain Bowl continues Friday at 6 p.m. SLU season ticketholders should be aware that some of their tickets may have outdated game times for the series.
 
Sponsored by the SLU chapter of Sigma Tau Gamma fraternity, the Pontchartrain Bowl trophy goes to the winner of the regular-season series between the Lions and Privateers. Created when UNO joined the Southland, Southeastern has claimed the trophy four of the first six times. UNO is the current champion, winning three of the four games in the 2021 series.
 
Will Kinzeler (2-0, 2.62), a sophomore right-hander from Covington, Louisiana, takes the ball for SLU (13-20, 4-5 SLC) Friday against Privateer senior southpaw Brandon Mitchell (1-3, 3.83). Kinzeler leads the Southland in innings pitched (44.2) while ranking third in ERA and seventh in strikeouts (40).
 
Fans in the Hammond area can also listen on the flagship station of the Southeastern Sports Radio Network – KSLU 90.9 FM – in addition to online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via both the Lions Gameday Experience, Mixlr and MyTuner Radio apps. The MyTuner app is compatible with the Apple CarPlay software available in most late model automobiles. Fans should search for SLU Athletics (Mixlr) or Southeastern Sports Radio Network (MyTuner).
 
The game will also air on ESPN+.
 
TICKET & PARKING INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are on sale for the remainder of the regular season. 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.
 
General admission tickets are $9 for adults and $6 for youth (ages 3-12). Southeastern students, with a university ID, and children under age 2 are admitted for free. Gameday parking is $5 per day for standard vehicles and $25 for RVs.
 
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.

Southeastern uses mobile ticketing as the primary method for distributing tickets purchased online. 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. 
 
PARKING CONSTRUCTION
The university is slated to repave a portion of the baseball parking lot, from April 13-29, affecting home games against New Orleans (April 14-16), South Alabama (April 19) and Southern Miss (April 26). Additional parking will be available in the parking garage and in the lot north of the garage.
 
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.
 
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 by 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.