HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team finished off a series sweep of New Orleans with a 7-5 victory Sunday in Southland Conference action at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
 
With the win over the Privateers (11-19, 4-11 SLC), Southeastern (16-12, 8-4 SLC) moves back into a tie for first place in the conference standings with Lamar (17-11, 10-5 SLC) and Northwestern State (18-10, 10-5 SLC).
 
The Lions took an early, 4-0 lead as they sent all nine batters in the lineup to the plate in the second inning.
 
Connor Cuff was hit by a one-out pitch. He advanced to second base on Alex Perry's single through the left side of the infield and then came home to score on Dane Watts' RBI double to left-center field. Ben Robichaux drove in Perry with an infield single. After Justin Williams drew a walk to load the bases, Brody Capps drove in both Watts and Robichaux with a single up the middle.
 
UNO cut the Lions' advantage in half in the third. First baseman Kruise Newman delivered a two-out, two-run home run to straightaway center. It was his eighth homer of the season and second of the series.
 
Southeastern got a run back in the bottom of the inning on Rhett Centanni's leadoff home run to right-center. The solo shot was his first of the season and his SLU career.
 
A light rain started to fall in the fifth inning, continuing off and on throughout the remainder of the game.
 
The Privateers erased a 5-2 deficit in the fifth with a two-out, RBI single and a two-run home run by designated hitter Adrian Dominguez. The game-tying blast was the first of the season for Dominguez.
 
SLU responded right away, taking a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the frame. Peyton Woods led off with a double to right-center. He advanced to third on a flyout to right and scored on Cuff's RBI groundout to first.
 
The Lions extended their lead in the sixth. Watts led off with a double to right-center. He advanced to third on Blaise Priester's bunt single and scored on Robichaux's sacrifice fly to left.
 
Sophomore left-hander Nik Toups relieved SLU starting pitcher Blake Lobell in the sixth and tossed 3.2 hitless, shutout innings, striking out four batters.
 
Lobell (1-0) earned the win, allowing five runs – all earned – in 5.0 innings of work. The native of Holden, Louisiana walked a pair of batters and struck out six. Dakota Lee recorded the game's final out to earn his first save of the season. UNO starting pitcher Riley Marcotte (1-4) suffered the loss, allowing six runs – all earned – in 4.2 innings pitched.
 
Watts (3-for-4) helped pace the SLU offense, contributing multiple hits, driving in a run and scoring two more.
 
With the sweep, the Lions claimed the Pontchartrain Bowl trophy for the seventh time in 11 regular-season series matchups since New Orleans joined the Southland in the summer of 2014.
 
UP NEXT
SLU kicks off a four-game road trip Tuesday at No. 11-ranked Southern Miss. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. at Pete Taylor Park. The Lions then head on to San Antonio, Texas for a conference series at UIW. Games against the Cardinals are scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Thursday and Friday, along with 1:05 p.m. Saturday.
 
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.