Box Score

HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana junior Joe Sparacino hit a pinch hit three-run home run that keyed a six-run Lion seventh inning and allowed No. 26 Southeastern Louisiana to rally from five runs down for a 10-9 win over UTSA in the Southland Conference opener for both teams Friday night at Alumni Field.

The Lions improved to 13-1 overall and 1-0 in league play. UTSA dropped to 7-5 overall and 0-1 in Southland Conference action.

Southeastern senior Chris Franklin was 3-for-4 at the plate and drove in three runs. The All-American from Oneonta, Ala. also struck out three in two innings of shutout relief to earn his fourth save of the season.

Southeastern freshman Stefan Lopez (1-0) earned his first collegiate victory. The New Iberia native struck out five and scattered three hits in 2.2 innings of work after relieving Lion junior Tyler Watkins. Taylor Walton (1-1) took the loss for the Roadrunners, allowing two unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Trailing 9-4 heading into the seventh, Southeastern would not go down without a fight. Sophomore Justin Boudreaux led off the inning with a nice bunt and Jake Wood missed the bag at first. After Roadrunner starter Casey Selsor retired the next two batters, he walked Lion sophomore Cody Gougler and hit senior Philip Freeman to load the bases. UTSA shortstop Lance Brown then booted a ball off the bat of freshman Chad Gough-Fortenberry, allowing Boudreaux to score and pull Lions within four.

Franklin then followed with a sharp single that fell just in front of charging UTSA centerfielder Daniel Rockett, plating two runs. Sparacino followed lining a 3-2 pitch over the right field fence to give the Lions the lead at 10-9.

From there, Franklin was unhittable. After allowing a leadoff walk to Rockett in the top of the eighth inning, Frankin retired the final six UTSA batters to secure the victory.

Southeastern jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Junior Cass Hargis drew a leadoff walk and Boudreaux followed with his team-high third home run of the season to give Southeastern the early advantage. The Lions added a run in the second, as Gough-Fortenberry reached on an infield single and scored on a RBI groundout by Hargis.

UTSA took the lead in the top of the third inning. Consecutive doubles by Jeff Taliaferro and Ryan Dalton, followed by a three-run home run by Ryan Hutson keyed a four-run UTSA third. The Roadrunners added two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to take an 8-3 lead. Franklin singled home a run in the sixth for the Lions, but UTSA got the run back in the top of the seventh on a double by Matthew James.

The Lions and Roadrunners will return to action on Saturday at 2 p.m. The contest will be broadcast live in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the Internet at www.LionSports.net, where live stats will also be available.