HAMMOND, La. (Interstat) — A pivotal Southland Conference series continues Saturday when the Southeastern Louisiana Lions host the Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.

First pitch is set for the afternoon under clear skies with a temperature near 70 degrees.

Both teams enter with identical 10-8 overall records after the Lions dominated the series opener 8-1 on Friday night. Southeastern Louisiana’s Brady St. Pierre was brilliant in that victory, tossing seven shutout innings with just one hit allowed and eight strikeouts.

The right-hander will look to build on that momentum. In his last four appearances, St. Pierre is 3-1 with 28 strikeouts in 20 innings pitched.

Stephen F. Austin will seek to even the series and rebound from a sluggish offensive performance. A player to watch for the Lumberjacks is reliever Brennan Greer, who provided two scoreless innings of relief in Friday’s loss. Over his last four outings, Greer has not allowed a hit in 5.2 innings, though he has been charged with four earned runs due to control issues.

The Lumberjacks’ offense, which managed only one run on three hits Friday, will need to awaken against a Lions pitching staff that has found its rhythm. Southeastern Louisiana’s Ben Robichaux and Justin Williams, who each homered in the opener, lead a potent lineup.

According to Interstat, the Lions are heavy favorites with a 79% probability to win. The service’s game simulator projects a 7-5 Southeastern Louisiana victory.

The series concludes Sunday afternoon in Hammond.