After claiming the series against the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (28-13, 17-7 SLC), Southeastern (31-9, 16-5) is tied with McNeese (28-7, 16-5 SLC) for the top spot in the SLC.

Game one – Thursday, April 17

The series opener remained scoreless until the third inning when senior first baseman Ryan Brome, the transfer from Texas Tech, and senior catcher Conner O’Neal hit sacrifice flyouts for Southeastern to give them a 2-0 lead.

While on the mound, pitcher Brennan Stuprich kept the Vaqueros scoreless for most of the game with six strikeouts. He currently leads the nation with eight wins and ranks second in the country for most strikeouts (92). 

O’Neal and junior third baseman Mo Little sealed the win for the Lions after back-to-back home runs late in the same inning to give the Lions a 5-2 lead.

“I feel like I was hitting well this series and was able to improve with help from my guys, and I feel like overall we’re in a good spot. We got a lot of talent on the field and the bench,” Little said.

Southeastern sealed the win after the freshman pitcher Brady St. Pierre closed the game with three strikeouts.

Game Two – Friday, April 18

On Friday, SLU won the series against UTRGV by a landslide, 12-1.

Junior left fielder Dane Watts hit a home run to left field with Little on base to give Southeastern the lead in the second inning, 2-0.

The Vaqueros struggled to contain the Lions, as Little and O’Neal each hit singles that brought in three additional runs, extending the score to 6-0.

Junior second baseman Ben Robichaux finished the game with a grand slam to win the game and clinch the series victory over UTRGV, 12-1.

Junior pitcher Luke Liertte and junior Lakin Polk pitched five strikeouts and kept Rio Grande Valley to only one run with six hits.

Game Three – Saturday, April 19

Home runs from Little and senior shortstop Salvaggio kept SLU tied 3-3 with UTRGV in the series finale, until Salvaggio took the only lead for Southeastern with a double in the sixth, 5-3.

The Vaqueros rallied to take the lead and keep the Lions from claiming the sweep, 8-5.

During the game, Southeastern started junior pitcher Blake Lobell, then switched through four different pitchers throughout the day, recording only four strikeouts.

“It’s two great teams playing their guts out and I’m proud of our guys; they played well and there are things we could have done better, but I’m pleased [with] how our team played throughout the series,” said Head Coach Bobby Barbier.

For McNeese, they won their weekend series against Corpus Christi to maintain a chance for the top spot.

SLU will seek to claim the top spot in the conference by taking on HCU on the road after they travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi. 

They’ll first compete against No. 23 Southern Miss on Wednesday, April 23 at 6 p.m., looking for revenge after the Lions lost their last matchup 8-17.

You can watch the game live on ESPN+ or listen to 90.9 The Lion for live radio coverage.

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