HAMMOND, La. – After watching South Alabama roar back to tie the game in the top of the eighth, the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team scored the go-ahead run in the bottom of the inning and held on for a 5-4 non-conference win Tuesday against South Alabama at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
Southeastern (22-25) built a 4-0 lead through five innings as three Lion pitchers combined to hold South Alabama (23-28) hitless into the sixth inning.
 
Jackson Rodriguez (2-1) earned the win, allowing one run in 1.1 innings of relief work. He surrendered one hit and one walk, striking out one. Connor Spencer picked up the final two outs of the game to earn his second save, stranding the potential tying run at second base by striking out the final batter.
 
Zach Willingham (2-2), sixth Jaguar pitcher of the game, suffered the loss. The left-hander surrendered one run on two hits and hit a batter in 0.1 innings of work.
 
TJ Salvaggio homered and tripled, scoring a pair of runs. Connor Manola had a pair of RBI hits, including the game-winner in the eighth.
 
Salvaggio led off the second with a solo home run, his team-leading eighth of the season.
 
In the fourth, Salvaggio ripped a one-out triple to deep left-center field. He scored on Manola's RBI double over the head of the left fielder, chasing the South Alabama starting pitcher from the game.
 
SLU doubled its lead in the fifth with a pair of unearned runs. Dane Watts drew a leadoff walk and then stole second base. It was one of seven Lion steals in the game. Advancing to third on a groundout, Watts scored when the catcher missed a throw from the first baseman on a fielder's choice grounder off the bat of Tyler Finke. After advancing to second on the error, Finke moved over to third on a passed ball and scored on Shea Thomas' RBI single up the middle.
 
The Jaguars' first hit of the game was a solo homer leading off the sixth. They picked up two more runs on a two-out double in the seventh and tied the game in the eighth on a squeeze bunt.
 
Champ Artigues led off the eighth with a single up the middle. Pinch runner Joe Delaney stole both second and third, coming home to score the eventual winning run on Manola's RBI single to center.
 
Finke swiped a pair of bags, giving him 32 this season. He now sits four shy of tying the program's single-season record of 36 stolen bases, currently held by Brock Hebert.
 
Rhett Rosevear was hit by a pitch for the 23^rd time this season and the 75^th time in his Lion career. He is now one away from tying Josh Cryer's program record for career HBPs.
 
UP NEXT
Southeastern wraps up the regular season with a three-game conference series at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field against Northwestern State. Games are scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, 6 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday.
 
Friday's contest features postgame fireworks and $5 general admission tickets. Saturday's series finale is Senior Day and fans can also play baseball bingo during the game.
 
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.