HAMMOND, La. – The defending Southland Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team rallied for five runs in the final two innings Sunday, picking up a 6-5, walk-off victory over Southern Illinois-Edwardsville to clinch the weekend series at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
A bases-loaded walk to Alex Perry in the ninth inning capped the comeback.
 
With a four-run fifth inning, SIUE (2-5) built a 5-0 lead over the Lions (2-5), who were still looking for their first hit of the game.
 
The SLU comeback started in the bottom of the inning. Perry was hit by a pitch to open the frame, moving up to second base on a sacrifice bunt. Gavin Panks, a freshman catcher from Covington, Louisiana, delivered a two-out double down the right-field line, bringing home Perry for his first collegiate RBI.
 
Southeastern's bullpen battled through plenty of traffic on the base paths to hold the Cougars scoreless the rest of the way, allowing the bats time to battle back.
 
The Lions put up their own four-spot in the eighth to tie the game. Junior shortstop Connor Cuff led off the eighth with a single to left. After he was erased on a fielder's choice off the bat of Brody Capps, Dane Watts lined a double off the right-field wall. Perry followed with his only hit of the game, an RBI infield single to third that brought in Capps and chased reliever Noah Johnson.
 
Down 5-2 at that point, Ben Robichaux greeted Cougar closer Easton Harris (0-1) with a single through the left side of the infield. A groundout to first by Justin Williams brought home Watts, shaving another run off the Southeastern deficit. Panks followed with his third hit of the game, a two-run single to right to tie up the game.
 
In the ninth, Giovanni Licciardi led off with a single through the left side off Harris. Cuff followed with a bunt single, and both runners were sacrificed into scoring position by Capps. After Watts was issued an intentional walk, Perry worked the bases-loaded walk that sealed the victory.
 
Nick Gisclair (1-1), who fanned the final batter of the ninth with the potential go-ahead run at third for SIUE, earned the win. Harris suffered the loss, surrendering the tying and winning runs in 1.0 innings of work.
 
Panks (3-for-4) and Cuff (2-for-4) contributed multiple hits to the winning effort.
 
Southeastern, which picked up its first walkoff victory since a 6-5, 10-inning victory over Northwestern State on March 2, 2025, put the leadoff batter aboard in every inning Sunday except for the first and third.
 
UP NEXT
The Lions wrap up their season-opening, eight-game homestand Tuesday with a non-conference contest against South Alabama (5-2). First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
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.