HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team held off multiple advances Sunday by Lamar on the way to a 7-4 victory over the Cardinals in Southland Conference action at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
With the win, Southeastern (35-13, 20-7 SLC) bounces back to win the series after dropping the opener and maintains its hold on first place in the conference standings over UTRGV (22-8 SLC), McNeese (18-9 SLC) and Lamar (37-14, 17-10 SLC).
 
SLU took a 1-0 lead in the second, on a trio of infield hits, only for the Cardinals to tie it up in the third with an unearned run.
 
The Lions sent eight batters to the plate in the fourth, pushing across four runs to regain the lead. Giovanni Licciardi led off the inning with an infield single. After Lakin Polk struck out, Licciardi was thrown out at second base attempting to advance on the strike-three pitch in the dirt.
 
Ben Robichaux bunted for a base hit and scored on Cole Stromboe's home run to right field. The two-run shot was Stromboe's second of the season. Jude Hall followed with a double. He scored from second after the Lamar second baseman misplayed a grounder off the bat of Dane Watts. Watts advanced to second on the throw to the plate and then later came around to score when the Cardinal shortstop misplayed a grounder off the bat of TJ Salvaggio.
 
Southeastern starting pitcher Blake Lobell held Lamar in check until the sixth, when the Cardinals took advantage of a hit batter and a walk to load the bases. A sacrifice fly and an RBI single to center shaved a pair of runs off the Lions' 5-1 lead.
 
Stromboe delivered once again in the seventh as SLU extended its lead back to four, 7-3, on the redshirt senior's two-run single through the left side of the infield.
 
A two-out double in the eighth plated Lamar's final run before Brady St. Pierre came on to shut the door.
 
Lobell (6-1) earned the win, allowing three runs – two earned – in 5.2 innings pitched. He scattered six hits and a pair of walks, striking out eight batters. St. Pierre retired all four batters he faced, fanning the final two, to earn his ninth save of the season. Truitt Webb bridged the gap between Lobell and St. Pierre, tossing a pair of innings in relief.
 
Peyton Havard (7-2) suffered the loss for Lamar in a spot start. The right-hander surrendered five runs – three earned – in 3.2 innings pitched.
 
Licciardi (3-for-4), Robichaux (3-for-4), Stromboe (2-for-4) and Peyton Woods (2-for-4) produced multiple hits each for the Lions.
 
SLU holds a percentage-point lead over UTRGV heading into the final weekend of conference action. The lead is two games over McNeese and three over HCU, Lamar and Northwestern State.
 
The top eight teams in the regular season qualify for the 2025 Southland Conference Baseball Championship. Bracket play will be held at the site of the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, May 15-18. The best-of-3 championship series will be held at the site of the highest remaining seed, May 22-24.
 
UTRGV finished out its Southland slate this weekend with a sweep of UIW. The Vaqueros will host one of the two brackets in Edinburg, Texas.
 
SLU enters its final conference series, May 8-10, at Nicholls in Thibodaux, Louisiana with a magic number of two. Any combination of two Lion wins and/or McNeese losses clinches a bracket host site for Southeastern. Two Southeastern wins will clinch a share of the Southland regular-season championship and the No. 1 seed in the tournament. With three wins, Southeastern will be the outright regular-season champion.
 
UP NEXT
Southeastern wraps up the home portion of its regular season schedule Tuesday at 6 p.m., hosting South Alabama in a non-conference contest at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
The game promotions include Youth Sports Night and a t-shirt giveaway. Youth sport teams, 8th grade and under, wearing their team jersey, get free admission. Children, aged 12 and under, will also be able to stand on the field with their favorite SLU Baseball Player during the National Anthem.
 
RADIO SHOW
Inside Southeastern Baseball with Bobby Barbier airs live each Monday at 5 p.m. from WiseGuys Daiquiris in Hammond. Barbier joins co-host Allen Waddell for the 60-minute radio show, talking about the latest in Southeastern baseball.
 
It can be heard locally on KSLU 90.9 The Lion, via the Lions Gameday Experience and MyTuner Radio apps, as well as online at either www.LionSports.net/listenlive or LionUpRadio.org. Both the TuneIn and MyTuner Radio apps are compatible with the Apple CarPlay software available in most modern automobiles.
 
WiseGuys Daiquiris is located at 14372 University Ave. and features a full bar, daiquiris, lots of TVs to watch all your favorite sports events along with a kitchen serving appetizers and pizza.
 
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 the 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.