After their previous contest ended prematurely, Southeastern (23-11) and the Southern University Jaguars (19-12) met in Hammond, on Tuesday, April 12.
The Lions started off with sophomore left-hander Jordan Hymel on the mound. Despite giving up two hits in the top of the first, Hymel escaped the inning with the score still tied at zero. In the bottom half of the inning, sophomore second baseman Brock Hebert started off the offense in grand fashion, slapping a 0-2 pitch from Jaguars pitcher Belfred Pryer into center for a triple, his second of the season.
Senior shortstop Justin Boudreaux would beat out an infield single to score Hebert. The Lions finished the inning scoring one more run on one more hit. Hymel then struggled through the next inning, making just one out, while surrendering three runs, before red shirt freshman Jason Greenleaf came on to end the rally.
Southern tacked on one more in the top of the third, and the Lions retaliated with a run of their own in the bottom of the third. Senior third baseman Josh Cryer led off the bottom of the fourth with a towering homerun to left field.
“It felt good. I got a good pitch to hit, and had a good hitters count,” said Cryer. “I got a fastball up and put my barrel on it. It felt pretty good.”
With the Lion’s pitching still holding strong, the offense surged in the bottom of the fifth, scoring five runs on four hits. Red shirt freshman left-hander Matt Pittari replaced Greenleaf in the top of the sixth, and would hold the Jaguars to just two hits over the final innings. The Lions scored once more in the bottom of the sixth, putting the score at 10-4, in favor of the Lions.
Cass Hargis, looking to break the all-time hits record, went one for three, inching closer to the record held by Ty Summerlin.
“The bullpen was the difference in the game,” said Head Coach Jay Artigues. “We got seven strikeouts and two walks out of the bullpen and that was the difference. Greenleaf did a good job and Matt Pittari did a very good job coming in, and that was the key.”
Artigues also talked about the importance of beating an in-state rival.
“Any time you get a win, it’s good,” said Artigues. “But obviously when you beat an in-state rival it feels a little bit better, it has a little bit extra-something on it.”