HAMMOND, La. – Four members of the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team hit home runs Saturday as the Lions defeated Samford, 15-5, at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field for their seventh consecutive win to open the 2023 season.
 
Tyler Finke, Connor Manola, TJ Salvaggio and Shea Thomas each blasted their second home run of the season. For Thomas, it was his second in as many games.
 
A seven-run second inning powered the Lions (7-0) to an early lead over Samford (2-4).
 
Christian Garcia opened the inning up by drawing a walk from Bulldog starting pitcher Michael Ross (0-1) and then stealing second base. He advanced to third base on a fielder's choice, scoring on an errant throw from the shortstop. With one out, Ross hit Salvaggio with a pitch.
 
Reliever Dominic Ganley then hit both Joe Delaney and Rhett Rosevear with pitches, forcing in a run. Ganley walked Finke, forcing in another run before he was lifted for right-hander Trey Sanders. Thomas greet the new reliever with the first hit of the game for either team, a grand slam to left field.
 
Leading, 8-0, after two innings, pitching became the focus until SLU scored four more runs in the fifth. Salvaggio launched a two-run homer to account for half of the runs scored in the inning.
 
Southeastern starting pitcher Will Kinzeler (1-0) carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning, ultimately surrendering a hit with one out.
 
Solo home runs by Manola in the sixth and Finke in the seventh added to the Lions' totals.
 
Kinzeler (2-0) earned the win, allowing one run in 5.1 innings of work. The junior from Covington, Louisiana allowed one hit and five walks, striking out four batters.
 
A combination of Lakin Polk (1.2 IP), Jack Walker (1.0 IP) and Levi Bennett (1.0 IP) finished out the game for Southeastern.
 
Ross, the first of six pitched for Samford, suffered the loss.
 
Salvaggio and Jake Killingsworth contributed a pair of hits each. Thomas drove in a game-high six runs for the Lions while Finke and Salvaggio picked up a pair of RBIs each.
 
Rosevear was hit by a pitch twice in the game, extending his nation-leading total to 10 HBPs. Finke swiped his 10^th base of the season, putting six back from breaking the SLU career record.
 
With the win, the Lions equaled their best start to a season since 2012.
 
UP NEXT
The series wraps up Sunday at 1 p.m. with the Lions slated to start right-hander Andrew Landry (1-0, 3.60) against Samford righty Will Lynch (0-0, 13.50).
 
Free general admission tickets are available each Sunday home game for active military members, as well as veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces, by presenting a valid service ID at the ticket booth.
 
TICKET & PARKING INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are now 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.
 
General admission tickets for most games 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. 
 
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.
 
RADIO SHOW
The next episode of Inside Southeastern Baseball with Matt Riser, presented by Cate Street Seafood Station, is slated for Monday at 12 p.m. from the restaurant in downtown Hammond. Fans can listen to every show online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via both the Lions Gameday Experience or TuneIn apps. The TuneIn app is compatible with the Apple CarPlay software available in most newer automobiles.
 
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.