SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team pounded out a season-high 20 hits Saturday on the way to a 13-7, series-clinching victory over UIW in Southland Conference action at Sullivan Field.
 
Six players turned in multi-hit performances at the plate for Southeastern (25-24, 7-13 SLC), including five hits by Preseason All-Southland selection Jake Haze.
 
With the win over the Cardinals (24-25, 9-11, SLC), SLU moved ahead of HCU (16-30, 7-14 SLC) for eighth place in the conference standings after the Huskies dropped the opening game of a Saturday doubleheader at McNeese. SLU also gained half a game on seventh-place Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (21-30, 9-12 SLC) which does not have a Southland series this weekend.
 
The top eight teams in the conference standings qualify for the Southland's postseason tournament. The 2024 North Oaks Health System Southland Conference Baseball Championship is set to be held, May 22-25, at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field on the Southeastern campus in Hammond, Louisiana.
 
UIW jumped out in front three batters into the first inning. Following a one-out triple to center field, Cardinal designated hitter Dalton Beck scored on a sacrifice fly. Back-to-back walks led to another run and a 2-0 deficit for Southeastern.
 
The Lions responded immediately. Haze led off the second with a single to right. Conner O'Neal followed with a double inside the first-base bag, putting a pair of runners in scoring position. Rhett Rosevear drew a walk to load the bases. Jude Hall lined a 1-0 pitch over the right-field wall for a grand slam. Hall's sixth homer of the season put SLU up, 4-2.
 
Rosevear's walk was the 120^th of his college career, breaking a tie atop the Southeastern career leaderboard with Kenny Langlois (1993-96). He would add to his total once again later in the game.
 
UIW regained the lead in the third. Beck led off the inning with his conference-leading 15^th home run of the season, cutting the Lions' advantage to one. Two more runs scored with two outs following a throwing error by TJ Salvaggio.
 
The Cardinals extended their lead in the fourth, scoring a run on a wild pitch.
 
From that point forward, it was all Southeastern. Back-to-back home runs in the fifth by Haze and O'Neal put the Lions out in front, 7-6.
 
SLU added four more runs in the sixth, batting around. Consecutive bases-loaded walks to O'Neal, Rosevear and Hall led to three of the runs.
 
RBI singles by Salvaggio and Haze led to the Lions' final two runs in the seventh.
 
UIW picked up their final run on a leadoff homer in the eighth.
 
Dalton Aspholm (2-0) earned the win, allowing one run – it was earned – in 1.1 innings of relief work. Jackson Rodriguez picked up his sixth save of the season, working the final 4.2 innings. Cardinal starting pitcher Isaiah Zavala (4-4) suffered the loss, allowing seven runs – all earned – in his five-inning stint.

Haze (5-for-6), Ryan Brome (3-for-6), O'Neal (3-for-4), Shea Thomas (3-for-6), Parker Coley (2-for-6) and Cole Stromboe (2-for-5) all turned in multiple hits for the Lions.
 
Southeastern recorded at least 20 hits in a game for the first time since a 25-4 win over New Orleans on May 21, 2022, in the Southland Tournament. Haze's five-hit effort was also the first by a Lion since Thomas accomplished the feat in the same tournament victory over UNO.
 
UP NEXT
The series concludes with a single game Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+. Southeastern will start junior right-hander Aiden Vosburg (0-5, 7.71) on the mound. The Cardinals have not announced a starting pitcher.
 
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.