HAMMOND, La. – A seven-run fifth inning spurred Tarleton State on to a 9-4 win over the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball program Friday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. Meanwhile, SLU senior Rhett Rosevear broke the school's career record, getting hit by a pitch for the 77^th time in his career during Friday night's season-opening contest.
 
Falling behind in the first inning, 1-0, the Lions (0-1) immediately went to work on tying up the game.
 
Leadoff hitter Parker Coley, a junior from Sterlington, Louisiana, worked a walk off Tarleton (1-0) starting pitcher Piercen McElyea. Back-to-back singles from Ryan Brome and Jake Haze (RBI) followed, plating Coley with the tying run.
 
The Texans bounced back with another run in the second to regain the lead, 2-1, with a leadoff double and a pair of groundouts.
 
With both starting pitchers out of the game, Southeastern tied the game in the fourth on a solo home run by left fielder Gray Rowlett. The junior transfer from Northwestern State led off the inning with a line drive over the wall in left-center field.
 
Tarleton responded with its big inning, scoring all seven runs with two outs.
 
SLU added single runs in the final two innings, including a towering, solo homer by center fielder Jude Hall leading off the ninth.
 
Rosevear bypassed Josh Cryer (2008-11) in the Southeastern records books when he was hit by a 2-0 pitch as a pinch hitter in the ninth. The NCAA Division I career record is 109 by Notre Dame's Brett Lilley (2005-08).
 
Texan reliever Grant Garza (1-0) earned the win, tossing 5.2 innings in relief. He allowed one run on three hits, striking out one. Aiden Vosburg (0-1) suffered the loss for the Lions, allowing six runs – five earned – in 1.2 innings of work. He surrendered five hits and a pair of walks, striking out four batters.
 
Two Lion freshmen excelled in their collegiate debuts. Peyton Woods finished the night 1-for-2 at the plate, delivering an RBI double in the eighth, and left-handed reliever Larson Fabre tossed two scoreless innings, striking out a pair of batters.
 
UP NEXT
The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.  Fans in attendance will be able to play Baseball Bingo during the game.
 
Saturday's pitching matchup features redshirt junior right-hander Dakota Lee for SLU and senior left-hander Matt Haley (0-2, 6.57) for the Texans. Lee, who hails from Purvis, Mississippi, missed the entire 2023 season following an off-season injury after transferring from Pearl River CC.
 
Fans can listen to the game broadcast in the Hammond area on 90.9 The Lion. In addition, an audio stream is available online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via the Lions Gameday Experience, TuneIn and MyTuner Radio apps. Both the TuneIn and MyTuner apps are compatible with the Apple CarPlay software available in most late-model automobiles. Search for KSLU 90.9 FM in the TuneIn app.
 
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 before the game to reserve theirs in advance.
 
General admission tickets for most games are $11 for adults and $8 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 before 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.
 
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
Fans are encouraged to follow the Southeastern Baseball social media accounts (@LionUpBaseball) on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay engaged with the program.
 
The latest updates are also available at www.LionSports.net and the Lions Gameday Experience app. Available for both Android and iOS devices, the Gameday app can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.