HAMMOND, La. – A two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning lifted Lamar past the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team, 5-4, Friday in Southland Conference action at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
Following a leadoff walk, Cardinal left fielder Kevin Bermudez launched a 2-2 pitch over the left-field wall as Lamar (23-18, 7-9 SLC) wiped out a late rally by Southeastern (19-19, 4-9 SLC).
 
The Cardinals struck first in a pitchers' duel, scratching across a pair of runs off SLU starting pitcher Will Kinzeler with a two-out single in the fourth.
 
Southeastern tied it in the sixth on Tyler Finke's third home run of the season. The two-run blast followed Rhett Rosevear's leadoff single.
 
Lamar regained the lead in the eighth with an unearned run scoring on a two-out sacrifice fly.
 
The Lions responded immediately. Finke led off the inning with a double inside the first-base bag, later advancing to third. He scored on a little dribbler up the third-base line off the bat of Jake Killingsworth to tie the game. A throwing error allowed Killingsworth to take second base. Pinch-runner Joe Delaney scored on Connor Manola's RBI single to left for a short-lived, 4-3 lead.
 
Cardinal reliever Brooks Caple (4-0) earned the win, allowing two runs – one earned – in 2.0 innings pitched. He surrendered a pair of hits and struck out three batters. Lance Lauve (2-2) suffered the loss for SLU, allowing three runs – two earned – in 1.0 inning of relief work.
 
Finke finished the night 2-for-3 at the plate with a double, a home run and a walk. He drove in a pair and scored a pair of runs.
 
UP NEXT
The series continues Saturday at 12 p.m. First pitch has been bumped up to avoid rainy weather at the regularly scheduled time.
 
Andrew Landry (2-5, 4.05), a junior right-hander from Slidell, Louisiana, draws the start for the Lions opposite Lamar southpaw Hunter Hesseltine (2-1, 3.71).
 
Saturday's game is slated for coverage on ESPN+. Live stats will be available online at www.LionSports.net and in the Lions Gameday Experience app. Fans can also receive in-game updates on Twitter by following the @LionUpBaseball account.
 
Postgame fireworks have been moved to another game later in the season. Fans can still play Baseball Bingo at Saturday's game by picking up a card at the marketing table. The first three completed bingo cards go home as winners.
 
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 the 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.
 
LINE SCORE
Lamar 5, Southeastern 4 (Apr 28, 2023 at Hammond, La.)
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Lamar .................. 000 200 012  -  5  9  1      (23-18, 7-9 SLC)
Southeastern ........ 000 002 020  -  4  8  1      (19-19, 4-9 SLC)
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Pitchers: Lamar - Ellis, Jacob; Perez, Andres (7); Caple, Brooks (8) and Snell, Ryan. Southeastern - Kinzeler, Will; Reynolds, Reid (7); Lauve, Lance (8); Spencer, Connor (9) and Manola, Connor.
 
Win-Caple, Brooks (4-0)  Loss-Lauve, Lance (2-2)  T-2:37  A-1212
HR LU - Bermudez, Kevin (5).
HR SLU - Finke, Tyler (3).
Weather: 82 Clear, N 4 mph
Ellis, J. faced 2 batters in the 7th.
Lauve, L. faced 2 batters in the 9th.