NEW ORLEANS -- Southern University baseball made a furious rally to erase an early deficit but fell on the road at New Orleans 5-4 Tuesday night at Maestri Field.

A trio of Jaguar hitters recorded multiple hits at the plate led by Javeyan Williams, who finished the night 2 of 4 with a double - his eighth of the season - and 2 RBIs. Shortstop Malik Blaise and second baseman Zavier Moore both hit 2 of 3 as the Jaguars collected 10 hits but stranded six baserunners.

Southern struck first in the top of the second inning to take a 1-0 lead. Malik Blaise lead off the inning with a single to second base. Johnny Johnson reached first on a fielder's choice which retired Blaise before Coby Taylor flied out to centerfield. With two outs, Moore singled through the heart of the New Orleans infield to preserve the inning for Southern. In the next at-bat, catcher William Nelson singled to right field to score Johnson from third.

Starting pitcher Jerome Bohannon plowed through the first two innings, retiring six of the first seven Privateers before stumbling through a 4-run third inning for New Orleans. Bohannon lasted five innings but allowed five runs on seven hits. 

After New Orleans reclaimed the lead scoring two runs, Southern yielded two more runs with two outs on a wild pitch and a fielding error by Johnson. New Orleans added another run in the fifth to take a 5-1 lead when Southern ignited a furious rally in the seventh.

In the seventh, Moore and Tyler LaPorte doubled and Brendon Davis singled to produce three runs and trim the Privateers lead to one. Nursing a 5-4 lead, New Orleans commissioned Bailey Holstein and Reeves Martin from the Privateer bullpen to close the game, limiting the Jaguars to a single hit in the eighth and the ninth. 

Southern will conclude the 2019 regular season with a short trip north to face Alcorn State Wednesday night in Lorman, Miss. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.