The Lions fought back in their first round matchup against the University of Central Arkansas (UCA) Bears, getting the win 6-3.
After falling behind 3-1 in the top of the fourth inning, the Lions reeled off five unanswered runs to take the first round game against UCA in the 2012 Southland Conference Tournament.
After starting pitcher Andro Cutura went 3.2 innings, with 2 earned runs, sophomore Jason Greenleaf relieved Cutura in the fourth, getting the Lions out of the inning.
Along with Greenleaf, sophomore Dylan Hills and junior Stefan Lopez blanked the UCA Bears, with Lopez getting the save, his 20th of the season. This allowed the Lions to stay in the game, giving the offense time to tie and eventually take the lead.
“These kids have been resilient all year,” said head coach Jay Artigues, in postgame interviews. “We have so many new guys this year, so the poise and maturity they show says a lot about these young men. They never panic and stick with the plan, and they did that tonight.”
The Lions will face Texas State, the hosts of the Southland Conference Tournament and defending champions, on Thursday at 7 p.m. All tournament games are viewable from the Southland Conference website, www.southland.org.