HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team shut down No. 8-ranked Southern Miss, 5-1, Tuesday in non-conference action at Pete Taylor Park/Hill Denson Field.
 
Luke Lirette tossed 6.2 scoreless innings, striking out seven batters as Southeastern (17-12) earned its second win over a ranked team in the last two weeks. SLU shut out then No. 8-ranked Oklahoma, 3-0, in Hammond, Louisiana, back on March 17.
 
The Lions send nine batters to the plate in the fourth, breaking open a scoreless game with four runs.
 
Justin Williams, who led off the inning with an infield single, was aboard for Brody Capps' team-leading seventh home run of the season. After hitting Peyton Woods with a pitch and surrendering Rhett Centanni's single, the Golden Eagles (21-8) pulled starting pitcher Kros Sivley in favor of left-hander Bruce Littleton.
 
Connor Cuff sacrificed the runners into scoring position, setting up Alex Perry's RBI single through the right side. Dane Watts brought in Centanni with a sac bunt.
 
SLU added a run in the sixth when three different Southern Miss pitchers issued consecutive walks, the final one coming with the bases loaded to force in the run.
 
Meanwhile, Lirette cruised, tying a career-high in innings pitched and establishing a new best in strikeouts. Larson Fabre (0.2 IP), Logan Freche (0.2 IP) and Triston Todorowski (1.0 IP) finished it out for the Lions.
 
Lirette (2-1) earned the win. Sivley (3-2) suffered the loss, allowing four runs – all earned – in 3.0 innings of work.
 
Centanni (2-for-4) and Perry (2-for-4) delivered multiple hits apiece for SLU, while left fielder Justin Williams made a pair of highlight-reel catches in the seventh and eighth.
 
UP NEXT
Southeastern continues on a four-game road trip this week, returning to Southland Conference action at UIW in San Antonio, Texas. Games are scheduled for 2:05 p.m. Thursday and Friday, along with 1:05 p.m. Saturday. ESPN+ coverage is slated for both the series opener and finale.
 
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.