Box Score NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Southeastern Louisiana's
Justin Boudreaux belted a pair of two-run home runs, including a go-ahead blast in the seventh inning and the Lions captured their school-record 39th win of the season in a 14-7 win over Stephen F. Austin to complete a three-game sweep Sunday at Jaycees Field.
Joe Sparacino belted a grand slam to cap a five-run ninth inning as Southeastern (39-14, 21-9 Southland) won its sixth straight game and 10th in its last 12. The win by the Lions, who moved into a first-place tie with Texas State in the league standings, eclipsed the previous single-season record of 38 set in 1992 and 1993.
Boudreaux, who went 2-for-2 with five RBI, notched his third multi-homer game of the season beginning with a two-run home in the third inning off SFA starter Justin Braddock. Boudreaux, who added a sacrifice fly in the ninth, snapped a 7-7 tie in the seventh with a two-out, two-run blast off Lumberjack reliever Cory Ochs (3-1).
Stefan Lopez (2-1) earned the win in relief for Southeastern, pitching the final 4.1 innings and allowing two hits with five strikeouts. Lopez, a true freshman, retired the final 12 batters he faced after Michael Haynes led off the sixth with a bloop double down the right-field line.
Southeastern built a 5-1 lead in the fourth on RBI singles by
Jeff Harkensee and
Cody Gougler before SFA (32-17, 18-11 Southland) mounted a comeback. The Lumberjacks added a run in the fourth before scoring five runs in the fifth to take a 7-5 lead.
Garrett Smith and Jarid Scarafiotti each hit RBI singles before Bo Coffman gave SFA the lead with a two-run single that chased Southeastern starter
Jordan Hymel.
The Lions, who collected 15 hits off six SFA pitchers, tied the game in the sixth after Gougler hit an RBI single and
Josh Cryer drew a bases-loaded walk that drove in Harkensee.
Southeastern broke the game open in the ninth after
Trey Martin reached on a one-out single and moved to third after a single by
Cass Hargis and an error by Coffman. Boudreaux increased Southeastern's lead to 10-7 with a sacrifice fly and after Harkensee and Gougler were hit by pitches, Sparacino belted a 2-and-0 pitch over the right-field fence for his sixth home run of the season.
Cryer went 3-for-4 with two RBI for Southeastern while Gougler went 2-for-4 with two RBI. The Lions took advantage of six walks and six hit batters, increasing their total to 110 on the season, issued by SFA.
Scarafiotti led SFA at the plate going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI. Coffman went 2-for-4 with three RBI for the Lumberjacks while Smith went 2-for-5 with an RBI.
Southeastern will close out the regular-season beginning Thursday when it plays host to Northwestern State in a three-game series at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field. The series opens Thursday at 6 p.m. before continuing on Friday at 6 and concluding Saturday at 2. All three games can be heard in the Hammond area on KSLU-FM (90.9) and on the internet at www.LionSports.net.
Southeastern La..... 003 202 205 - 14 15 0 (39-14, 21-9 SLC)
Stephen F. Austin... 100 150 000 - 7 14 3 (32-17, 18-11 SLC)
Hymel, Lopez (5) and Cryer. Braddock, Jar. West (4), Ochs (6), Higginbotham (8), Jas. West (9), Rogers (9) and Scarafiotti. W – Lopez (2-1). L - Ochs (3-1). E – Hines (21), Coffman (4), Gratzke (2). DP - SLU 2, SFA 2. LOB - SLU 11, SFA 5. 2B – Scarafiotti (13), Coffman (17), Gratzke (3), Haynes (12). HR – J. Boudreaux 2 (12), Sparacino (6). HBP - Harkensee, Gougler, Sparacino, Cryer, Ernest, Martin. SH – J. Boudreaux (5). SF – Boudreaux (5). SB – Martin 2 (13). CS – Martin (4), Lewis (1). T - 3:10. A – 312.
