HAMMOND, La. – The back-to-back Southland Conference regular-season champion Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team continued the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament Friday, falling to No. 5-seeded McNeese, 15-9, in the Hammond Bracket presented by North Oaks Health at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
No. 1 seed SLU (32-20, 19-9 SLC) lost to the Cowboys (30-23, 16-14 SLC) in Game 4 of the bracket.
The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the third, when McNeese plated four runs to take an advantage in the early innings, 4-0.
The Lions got on the scoreboard in the fourth. SLC Hitter of the Year
Peyton Woods doubled down the right field line, then
Justin Williams singled to put runners on the corners. Continuing his excellent weekend,
Connor Cuff belted his 14
th homer of the season to get the Lions within one run, 4-3.
The Cowboys' offense continued in the fifth inning with seven runs on six hits, 11-3. At the top of the sixth, back-to-back bases-loaded walks, then a hit-by-pitch brought the Lions within five, 11-6.
McNeese added four more runs to its lead in the bottom of the sixth inning, 15-6. In the seventh, three straight walks for SLU, followed by Cuff's fourth double of the weekend scored two more, 15-8. The final run of the game came by way of a solo homer from
Ben Robichaux to give SLU its 85
th home run of the season, one away from tying the all-time single-season record.
McNeese's Paul Coppinger (3-3) earned the win, while Jake Blackwell picked up the save. Southeastern's
Nik Toups (5-2) received the loss.
Cuff (2-for-4) earned multiple hits on back-to-back days. The junior collected a career-high five RBI with a three-run homer and a double.
UP NEXT
The Hammond Bracket presented by North Oaks Health will continue Saturday with the Lions matching up against No.8-seeded HCU at 1 p.m. If the Lions win against the Huskies, they will face No. 5 Seed McNeese at 6 p.m. at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. The game will also be televised on ESPN+.
Fans can listen to all the baseball action locally on KSLU 90.9 The Lion or worldwide online at either
www.LionSports.net/listenlive or
www.LionUpRadio.org, via the following apps – Lions Gameday Experience, Live365, iHeart, Audacy, TuneIn and MyTuner Radio - or on Alexa speakers (skill must be enabled first). All you have to say is, "Alexa, play K.S.L.U."
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 on both Android and iOS, the Gameday app can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play.
#LionUp
