LAFAYETTE, La. – UL Lafayette shut out the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team, 2-0, Wednesday at M.L. "Tigue" Moore Field at Russo Park.
 
It was the first of two meetings this season between Southeastern (12-9) and the Ragin' Cajuns (16-6).
 
Southeastern pitching worked through trouble all night as the Ragin' Cajuns put runners on in each of the first seven innings, leaving 11 on base in the game.
 
Working around a pair of singles to open the second inning, SLU starting pitcher Jay Long fanned the final two batters.
 
The Lions had a chance to jump out in front in the third. Bryce Grizzaffi was hit by a one-out pitch and Rhett Rosevear drew a walk, but a pair of deep flyouts brought the threat to a halt.
 
In the fourth, Long found himself in a similar situation to the second after the same two Ragin' Cajun batters – Peyton LeJeune and Julian Brock – led off with singles. He retired the next two batters before leaving with an apparent injury. UL Lafayette third baseman Max Marusak greeted reliever Reid Reynolds with an RBI single to right field.
 
The Ragin' Cajuns added to their lead in the sixth. UL Lafayette second baseman John Taylor picked up a one-out single off Southeastern reliever Levi Bennett. A pair of walks loaded the bases and a two-out hit batter forced in the second run of the game.
 
Reliever Cooper Rawls (5-0) earned the win, tossing three hitless and scoreless innings in relief. Long (1-3) was the hard-luck loser, allowing one run in 3.2 innings. Brendan Moody retired all six batters he faced to earn his second save of the season.
 
Southeastern got scoreless relief outings from Reid Reynolds, Trey Harrington and Dalton Aspholm.
 
Champ Artigues, 2-for-4 at the plate, picked up the Lions' only two hits in the game.
 
SLU was shut out for the first time since a 5-0, seven-inning loss in the first game of a Southland Conference doubleheader at McNeese, April 2, 2021, a span of 112 games. During that time, the Lion pitching staff has tossed eight shutouts.
 
UP NEXT
Southeastern continues on its five-game road trip, opening Southland Conference play this weekend at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Game times for the series are 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Chapman Field in Corpus Christi, Texas. All three games are slated to be carried on ESPN+.
 
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.