BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball program rallied twice Saturday on its way to a 6-3 win over UAB at Young Memorial Field, splitting the weekend series at one game apiece.
 
Southeastern (3-3) fell behind in the bottom of the first inning against the Blazers (3-3).
 
UAB leadoff hitter Darryl Buggs lined a triple through the teeth of a 20-mph wind blowing in from center field. After left fielder Logan Braunschweig drew a walk from Lion starting pitcher Dakota Lee, he stole second base to put a pair of runners in scoring position with nobody out.
 
Buggs scored on a groundout to short. Lee then fanned the cleanup hitter and got catcher Jake Smallwood to fly out to end the inning.
 
Lee worked out of trouble over the next three innings. Meanwhile, SLU left five runners during that span, leaving the bases loaded in the fourth.
 
The Lions finally broke through in the fifth, taking advantage of walks and UAB errors.
 
Christian Garcia, a graduate student from Slidell, Louisiana, drew a one-out walk before advancing to second on a wild pitch. First baseman Ryan Brome worked a two-out walk, putting a pair on. Shea Thomas and Parker Coley both had ground balls misplayed on the infield, leading to a pair of SLU runs and the lead.
 
The lead was short-lived as UAB took advantage of a pair of errors in the bottom of the inning to regain the lead, 3-2, before Garcia cut down a runner at the plate to end the inning. Following the play, and a lengthy discussion with the umpire crew, both Garcia and head coach Bobby Barbier were ejected.
 
With momentum starting to shift, UAB reliever Brooks House fanned the side in the sixth.
 
SLU went to the bullpen in the bottom of the inning, bringing on left-hander Jackson Rodriguez. The senior from Kingwood, Texas settled down the situation, retiring the next nine batters he faced.
 
The Lion bats came through in the seventh with a four-spot to once again regain the lead.
 
Jude Hall, who replaced Garcia in center, led off the inning with a single to left-center. After Hall stole second, House proceeded to hit the next two batters, Jake Haze and Brome, loading the bases. Reliever John Luke Marlin fanned Thomas, the first batter he faced, before Coley ripped a two-run double down the left-field line scoring both Hall and Haze. Brome scored on Michael Curry's sacrifice fly to deep left and catcher Bailyn Sorensen brought home Coley with a single to left for a 6-3 advantage.
 
Rodriguez (2-0) finished out the game, working around a leadoff double in the ninth, tossing four shutout innings to earn the win. He allowed one hit and did not walk a batter, striking out one. House (0-1) was tagged with the loss, allowing five runs – three earned – in 2.1 innings of relief work.
 
Curry, who went 2-for-3 with an RBI, enjoyed his third multi-hit game in as many starts. Coley, who went 2-for-5 with a pair of RBIs and a stolen base, turned in his second multi-hit performance of the season.
 
UP NEXT
The series concludes Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+. Will Kinzeler (1-0, 1.50), a senior right-hander from Covington, Louisiana, earns the start on the mound in the series finale. He will be opposed by UAB sophomore right-hander Colin Daniel (1-0, 0.00).
 
Fans can listen to the game 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.
 
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.