The Lions baseball team defeated Tulane at home on Wednesday, March 3 with a final score of 6-1 for their first match-up in two years.

Freshman pitcher Will Kinzeler had an impressive night as he struck out 13 batters in 6.2 innings, scoring him his first win of his collegiate career. 

In the second inning, the Covington native shut down Tulane by preventing two batters from reaching the home plate. Kinzeler then made six strikeouts and retired 14 batters back to back. 

Both teams went through the first three innings without scoring, but in the fourth inning, the Lions got the ball moving and secured 5 home runs. They also secured one run in the seventh inning, along with Tulane. 

Head Coach Matt Riser commented on what it was like to battle Tulane for the first time since April of 2019. 

“It felt good – we talked about it preseason, that was going to be a top 25 club, and they went toe to toe with Mississippi state this weekend and could’ve swept at their place with number five in the country. We knew they were going to come in with a very good pitching staff and a very good offense, and the start by Will Kinzler, man, that was just extremely impressive for a freshman to go hold it down like that,” Riser said. 

Although Tulane scored a run and the Lions matched Tulane with only four hits, Riser continued to commend Will Kinzeler for his performance on the mound that night. 

Kinzeler was pleasantly surprised by his stats and believed past experiences encouraged him to do well. 

“Tulane – they’re a talented club. I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, just for my history with them, but they pushed me to execute pitches,” commented Kinzeler. 

Up next, the Lions will take on 7-2 Troy Trojans at home on Friday at 6 p.m., at 1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday.