HAMMOND, La. – TJ Salvaggio and Logan Walters homered Friday to back another dominant pitching performance from Brennan Stuprich as the Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team defeated Northwestern State, 6-2, at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field in the Southland Conference opener for both schools.
 
Salvaggio broke open a scoreless pitcher's duel in the fifth inning with his first home run of the season and Stuprich recorded double-figure strikeouts for the second time in three starts as the Lions returned to form.
 
With no outs and a runner at first, Salvaggio launched a 1-0 pitch from new Northwestern State (4-5, 0-1 SLC) reliever Caden Fiveash over the left-field wall. An inning later, the senior from Slidell, Louisiana put SLU (8-2, 1-0 SLC) up, 3-0, with an RBI single to right.
 
After Demon first baseman Daniel Burroway launched his team-leading fourth home run of the season off Stuprich with two outs in the seventh, Walters answered by leading off the bottom of the inning with his second homer. Southeastern added another run in the seventh on Conner O'Neal's sacrifice fly.
 
Pinch-hitter Peyton Woods tacked on an insurance run in the eighth with an RBI single to center field.
 
Stuprich (3-0) rolled through eight innings with just the Burroway blemish, striking out 11 batters and holding the Demons to just three hits while earning the win. Northwestern State starting pitcher Carter White (1-1) suffered the loss in his first career start, allowing one run in 4.0 innings of work.
 
Giovanni Licciardi (2-for-4), Salvaggio (2-for-5) and Walters (2-for-3) picked up multiple hits each for the Lions.
 
The series continues Saturday at 2 p.m. on ESPN+. Live stats will be available in the Lions Gameday Experience app and online at www.LionSports.net/BaseballStats.
 
Fans can listen to game broadcasts in the Hammond area on KSLU 90.9 The Lion. In addition, an audio stream is available online at www.LionSports.net/ListenLive and via the Lions Gameday Experience and MyTuner Radio apps. The MyTuner app is compatible with the Apple CarPlay software available in most late-model automobiles. Search for KSLU 90.9 FM in the TuneIn app.
 
Baseball Bingo will be available for fans to play during Saturday's contest.
 
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.