HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University baseball team extended its winning streak to four games Thursday, taking home a 6-5 win in 10 innings against Northwestern State in the Southland Conference series opener at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
Down, 5-3, in the ninth, Southeastern (23-25, 7-14 SLC) rallied for a pair of runs to tie the game and force extra innings versus the Demons (27-23, 12-10 SLC).
Lance Lauve (3-3) earned the win with a scoreless inning of relief, but it was the extended relief outing by right-hander Lakin Polk that made the comeback victory possible. The freshman from Ponchatoula, Louisiana logged 4.2 innings of shutout ball, keeping the Lions within striking distance after starting pitcher Andrew Landry exited the game in the fifth.
Four SLU hitters picked up a pair of hits each, including Champ Artigues who blasted the first home run of his Lion career to tie the game in the second inning and then delivered the game-winning RBI with a double inside the first-base bag in the 10th inning.
Trailing, 2-0, in the second, Artigues pulled a two-run homer out of the park to right field. One out later, freshman left fielder McGwire Turner tripled into the right-center field gap. He scored on an error by the first baseman.
Northwestern State regained the lead in the fourth on a three-run homer by right fielder Gabe Colaianni. It was his seventh of the season.
Inheriting a runner at first with one out in the fifth, Polk proceeded to shut down the Demon offense. He scattered three hits, one walk and hit a batter while striking out three.
After back-to-back walks put Turner and Dane Watts aboard with one in the ninth, Northwestern State brought in closer Kyle Froehlich. He immediately surrendered a game-tying, two-run single to Rhett Rosevear before picking up the final out of the inning.
TJ Salvaggio led off the 10th inning, working the count full before being hit by a pitch from Froehlich (4-2). Shea Thomas chopped a ball to the left side, but the throw from third baseman Cole Hill pulled the first baseman off the bag. With two on and no outs, Artigues picked the perfect time to deliver his second hit of the night.
UP NEXT
The series continues Friday at 6 p.m. General Admission tickets are just $5 for Friday's contest, which includes a postgame fireworks display. The game is slated for coverage on ESPN+.
Fans in Hammond can also listen to all the action on KSLU 90.9 FM. There is no streaming audio. Live stats will be available online at www.LionSports.net and in the Lions Gameday Experience app. Fans can also receive in-game updates on Twitter by following the @LionUpBaseball account.
Will Kinzeler (5-1, 3.47), a junior right-hander from Covington, Louisiana, draws the Friday start for the Lions opposite Northwestern State right-hander Alex Makarewich (5-4, 4.99).
TICKET & PARKING INFORMATION
Single-game tickets are now on sale. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance to minimize ticket lines on game days. Southeastern students are encouraged to contact the ticket office prior to the game to reserve theirs in advance.
General admission tickets for most games are $9 for adults and $6 for youth (ages 3-12). Southeastern students, with a university ID, and children under age 2 are admitted for free. Gameday parking is $5 per day for standard vehicles and $25 for RVs.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.LionSports.net/Tickets or by contacting the Southeastern Athletics Ticket Office at (985) 549-5466. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Fridays. The ticket booth at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field opens exactly one hour prior to the scheduled first pitch.
Southeastern uses mobile ticketing as the primary method for distributing tickets purchased online. Tickets will be available via text message or email in a PDF format for fans to download on their phone or print at home. Tickets can also be downloaded to Apple Wallet.
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.
LIONS GAMEDAY EXPERIENCE APP
The Lions Gameday Experience app puts audio, stats, video, social media and more in the hands of fans. Those in attendance can also check in to earn reward points redeemable for Southeastern-related prizes. Available for both Android and iOS devices, it can be downloaded from the App Store and Google Play or by following the link www.LionSports.net/App.
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 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
For more information on Lions Baseball, follow @LionUpBaseball or @MattRiser17 on Twitter, @LionUpBaseball on Instagram and Facebook, and subscribe to the SLUathletics YouTube channel.
LINE SCORE
Southeastern 6, Northwestern State 5 (May 18, 2023 at Hammond, La.)
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Northwestern State ... 020 300 000 0 - 5 8 2 (27-23, 12-10 SLC)
Southeastern …......... 030 000 002 1 - 6 9 1 (23-25, 7-14 SLC)
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Pitchers: Northwestern State - Carver, Cal; Prestwich, Chase (7); Froehlich, Kyle (9) and Willis, Bo; Sorensen, Bailyn. Southeastern - Landry, Andrew; Polk, Lakin (5); Lauve, Lance (10) and Manola, Connor; Curry, Michael.
Win-Lauve, Lance (3-3) Loss-Froehlich, Kyle (4-2) T-2:54 A-1242
HR NSU - Colaianni, Gabe (7).
HR SLU - Artigues, Champ (1).
Weather: 84 Partly Cloudy, SSW 3 mph
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