HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team came up short in a pitcher's duel against No. 20-ranked Southern Miss, 3-1, Tuesday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
Neither team broke through until the Golden Eagles (3-1) led off the seventh inning with a home run.
 
The solo shot by Southern Miss left fielder Davis Gillespie was his first of the season.
 
Southeastern (0-4) rallied to tie it up in the eighth. Justin Williams led off the inning against USM reliever Kross Sivley with a triple off the center-field wall. Following an infield single by pinch hitter Mo Little, pinch hitter Brooks Wright lofted a sacrifice to left off reliever Josh Och to plate Williams.
 
The Golden Eagles, however, regained the lead with a pair of two-out RBI singles in the ninth.
 
Och (2-0) picked up the win, fanning one in a scoreless inning of relief work. Camden Clark retired all three batters he faced in the ninth to earn his second save. Nick Gisclair (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing a pair of runs in 0.2 innings of work.
 
SLU received shutout pitching appearances from starter Nik Toups (3.0 IP) along with relievers Dakota Lee (1.1 IP), Larson Fabre (0.2 IP), Sawyer Simmons (0.2 IP), Logan Freche (1.0 IP) and Dalton Gray (0.1 IP).
 
In addition to Williams (1-for-3) and Little (1-for-1), the Lions also received hits by Alex Perry (1-for-4) and Brody Capps (1-for-4).
 
UP NEXT
Southeastern continues its season-opening, eight-game homestand this coming weekend at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field, hosting Southern Illinois-Edwardsville. Games against SIUE are slated for 6 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
 
Kids age 12 and under can stand on the field during the series opener with their favorite Lion player for the national anthem as part of the Friday Funday promotion. Fans will be able to play baseball bingo during Saturday's contest, with the first 25 winners claiming a prize. Sunday is Military Appreciation Day. One complimentary ticket will be given out per valid military ID.
 
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.