Two Three-Run Frames by Lions The Difference in 'Jacks' 7-3 Loss at SLU

Sunday, April 29

Hammond, La.

1:00 p.m.

Stephen F. Austin

14-29, 6-15

Southeastern Louisiana University

30-17, 17-7

Stephen F. Austin

Southeastern

Photo by: Cody Derouen | SFA Athletics

Two Three-Run Frames by Lions The Difference in 'Jacks' 7-3 Loss at SLU

4/29/2018 4:32:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

Evans goes 2-for-4 with two doubles and a pair of RBI

By: Charlie Hurley | Director of Athletic Media Relations

HAMMOND, La. - A pair of three-run innings by Southeastern Louisiana proved to be the difference in a 7-3 setback to the Lions by the Stephen F. Austin baseball team Sunday afternoon from Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field Sunday afternoon.

Pacing the 'Jacks' 12-hit offensive attack was senior Josh Evans who finished 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBI. The Ponca City, Okla., product's two-out, two-run double in the top of the sixth pushed the 'Jacks ahead 2-1 but Southeastern Louisiana responded in the home half of the frame by striking for three runs on a pair of hits, two walks and a hit by pitch to take the lead for good.

Seven SFA pitchers were used in the Sunday afternoon loss with senior right-hander Trevor Kiminski (2-5) working a team-best 5.1 frames. Kiminski gave up four runs on three hits, three walks and two hit by pitch and suffered the loss.

Kiminski and Southeastern Louisiana Corey Gaconi matched zeroes through the first two frames before the Lions used an RBI groundout by Taylor Schwaner to take a 1-0 lead in the third.

That score stood until the sixth when Josh Campbell led off the frame with a single before Jared Martin followed with a two-out single of his own to put runners on first and second. That brought Evans to the plate and the senior split the gap in right-center perfectly and sent a double off the wall which put the visitors ahead 2-1.

Pitching with a lead for the first time, Kiminski issued a leadoff walk to Drew Avans in the home half of the sixth before hitting Schwaner to put runners on first and second. A passed ball pushed the game-tying run to home plate before Daniel Wasinger's one-out RBI single off of Kiminski made matters 3-2 and put the home squad ahead for good.

Trayson Kubo came on in relief of Kiminski and a wild pitch from the junior right-hander allowed Wasinger to come home and score, pushing the Lions' lead to 4-2. Kubo delivered a strikeout before handing things over to Cody Adams who finished the sixth by getting Cody Grosse to ground out to first.

SFA's four-hit seventh was highlighted by Nic Minor's two-our RBI single which trimmed the Lions' lead to one. Jake Georgiades laced a single to right field but Jarrod Huber was thrown out at the plate for the frame's final out while trying to score the equalizing run.

Adams kept the Lions at bay by sitting the home team down in order in the seventh, but three more Southeastern Louisiana runs crossed home in the hosts' four-hit eighth to put things out of reach for the 'Jacks. Grosse pushed a two-run single through a wide gap in the 'Jacks' infield to cap the Lions' three-run frame and SFA used five pitchers in an attempt to get out of the eighth before finally doing so when junior right-hander Austin Hearn got Avans to fly out to center.

Campbell and Manny Vasquez each posted singles for SFA in the ninth to try and start a rally but the Lions closed the door by getting Minor to ground into a fielder's choice to end the game.

Gaconi (4-1) worked six innings in order to get the win on the pitching rubber for Southeastern Louisiana who received two hits apiece from Grosse and Wasinger. That duo accounted for four of the Lions' eight hits and three of the five RBI.

Campbell, Georgiades and Vasquez each posted a pair of hits for SFA in the loss.

With no midweek game in sight for the 'Jacks this week, the team shifts its attention to a home Southland Conference series with Nicholls. That three-game set begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday evening from Jaycees Field.

-SFA-