Box Score Box Score
HAMMOND – The Southeastern Louisiana baseball team opened up its 2011 home schedule with a lopsided 13-1 victory over Tulane in front of 1,706 fans Tuesday night at Alumni Field.
The Lions improved to 3-1 on the year, scoring all 13 of their runs in the first four innings. Southeastern, which finished with 16 hits in the game, scored two runs in the first inning, three in the second, five in the third and three in the fourth to drop Tulane to 2-2 overall.
Senior
Jeff Harkensee led the Lions at the plate with a 3-for-4 showing, including a grand slam and five runs batted in. Junior
Cody Gougler had a team-high four hits for the Lions, while junior
Justin Boudreaux and sophomore
Brock Hebert each homered for Southeastern. In all, five Lions had multiple hits, as Boudreaux, junior
Jonathan Pace and senior
Joe Sparacino all had two.
In his 2011 debut, Lion sophomore lefthander
Jordan Hymel (1-0) was brilliant, retiring the first 10 batters he faced, scattering three hits and allowing one run in five innings of work. The Southeastern bullpen combined to hold Tulane to two hits and strike out six in four innings, as freshman
Jason Greenleaf, senior
Jacob Ott, freshman
Dylan Hills and freshman
Matt Pittari all pitched a scoreless inning apiece.
Tulane used five pitchers, as sophomore starter Kyle McKenzie (0-1) was chased after allowing six hits and five runs (two earned) in just two innings of work. Sophomore David Napoli was the Wave's most effective arm, throwing 3.1 innings of shutout ball and striking out four.
After McKenzie struck out the first two batters of the game, the Lions rebounded with a two-out rally. Boudreaux ripped a double off the base of the left field fence and then scored when Harkensee lined the next pitch up the middle. Singles by Gougler and Sparacino forced another run home in and put the Lions, up 2-0.
Southeastern took advantage of two Tulane errors in its half of the second. Hebert reached and advanced to second, when Jeremy Schaffer's throw sailed down the right field line. After moving to third on a sacrifice bunt by senior
Trey Martin, Hebert scored when a
Cass Hargis pop up was dropped by Brandon Boudreaux in shallow right.
Later in the inning, Hargis would score on a wild pitch and Gougler would single in another run to put the Lions up, 5-0.
With Hymel mowing down the Green Wave, any chance of a Tulane comeback was ruined in the bottom of the third inning. Hebert got the scoring started, as he hit a shot inside the left field foul pole for his first home run of the year. After a two-out single by Hargis, Pace hit a grounder to short, but sophomore Garrett Cannizaro dropped the ball in an attempt to force Hargis and end the inning.
After a Boudreaux walk loaded the bases, Harkensee cleared the bases with a missile over the right field fence. The Arlington, Ill. native's second home run of the year pushed the Southeastern lead to 10-0.
Tulane was able to manage its first base runner in the fourth, when junior Matt Ryan singled into left centerfield. Later in the inning, Schaffer singled home the Green Wave's only run to cut the Lions' advantage to 10-1.
Southeastern closed out the scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning. Hebert drew a leadoff walk, stole second and scored on a two-out single by Pace. Boudreaux followed with his second home run of the year to provide the Lions with the final 13-1 margin.
A Pace error and a single by freshman Briggs Barrios put runners at the corners for Tulane with nobody out in the top of the fifth inning. Hymel was unfazed, as the Gramercy native forced the next three batters to pop out to keep the lead at 12.
Tulane never threatened again, as Greenleaf pitched a perfect sixth inning and Hills sat the Green Wave down in the eighth. Ott and Pittari allowed one hit each in their inning of work.
The Lions will be back in action on Friday, opening play at the South Alabama Jaguar Classic with a 1 p.m. game versus Alabama in Mobile, Ala.
