HOUSTON – In front of a sold-out crowd at Husky Field, No. 6 HCU moved within one win of earning the 2025 Southland Conference Baseball Championship after taking an 8-3 win over No. 8 New Orleans on Thursday evening.

The two teams return to Husky Field on Friday for Game 2, slated for 6 p.m. The Huskies need one win for the title, whereas New Orleans needs the next two. 
 
HCU struck in the second inning as Matthew Leiterman led things off with a single up the middle for the Huskies. Three pitches later, Jeremy Rader dropped down a sacrifice bunt to the third baseman, with Leiterman taking advantage of an open third base. An errant throw went high to allow Leiterman to race home and put HCU ahead 1-0.
 
The Huskies struck again in the bottom of the third as Luke Bard lofted a 2-2 offering into shallow centerfield that just fell in despite a diving effort by UNO's Alexander Saunier, bringing Tevis Payne home and putting the Huskies ahead, 2-0.
 
The Huskies exploded for a five-run fourth as Jack Walker laced a two-RBI single to push the lead to four. After an error brought another run home, Rhett Hendricks made it a touchdown lead as he blasted a two-run bomb over the left field wall to put the Huskies in complete control. 
 
Parker Edwards was dominant on the mound, not allowing a hit until the sixth inning. He finished going 7.0 complete, allowing no runs on two hits and striking out a pair in the eventual win. 
 
Tristan Moore drove the first pitch he saw over the left-center fence to cut the HCU lead to 7-3 in the eighth, but HCU got a run back in the bottom half as Payne drove a run in.
 
Nick Ferazzi then struck out the side in order in the ninth to put the game away and secure the 8-3 win. He struck out six batters in 2.0 innings of work. 
 
Payne was 2-for-3 with two RBI and two walks, while Walker and Leiterman each had a pair of hits. Moore was 1-for-3 with the three RBIs on one swing, while Bryce Calloway drew a pair of walks. 
 
The Huskies' win moves them to the cusp of their second-ever Southland title and earning a place in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2015.