LAKE CHARLES – Despite a rally late in the game and a magnificent performance from its bullpen, the McNeese State baseball team was unable to overcome early home runs and fell to Southern 5-4 in a mid-week contest on Tuesday at Cowboy Diamond.
As they entered the final three innings of play, the Cowboys (17-12) trailed by three but collected two runs in the seventh and eighth frames to help cut the lead to a 5-4 score.
The superb pitching performance from the McNeese pitching staff kept the Cowboys alive throughout the latter part of the contest as the relieving hurlers retired the final 16 batters in the ballgame. The Pokes last gave up a hit in the fourth inning and were able to shut out the Jaguars (6-16) the rest of the way.
In the final inning, The Pokes were able to get base runners on first and second with no outs but failed to advance them and were cut short of a chance for the walk-off win.
With the loss, McNeese (17-12) dropped its second straight game that was decided by only one run and will try to end a two-game home losing skid.
However, the sting of a loss was healed by an event planned out by McNeese baseball squad member
Billy Sommers and the rest of his Cowboy teammates. Following the contest, the team ushered out Sommers' girlfriend of four years out to homeplate where she met her boyfriend who then handed her a bouquet of flowers and eventually dropped down to one knee and popped the question. After she answered yes and as the two embraced each other, they were met with cheer and excitement from both the McNeese and Southern baseball teams along with the remaining spectators who all stuck around to congratulate the two.
The Cowboys logged 10 hits in the contest and were led by outfielder
James Cantu who turned in a 2-for-4 performance along with a run.
Matt Gallier also recorded two hits in the game while three other Cowboys knocked one run each.
Starting pitcher
Clay Brast (0-1) was charged with the loss after giving up five runs on seven hits and a walk in four innings of work.
Relievers
Tyler Day and Cory Lapeze combined for five shutout innings and allowed no runs or no walks in the process.
Facing two outs in the top of the first inning, Southern (6-16) lifted a solo homer over the left field wall to take an early lead over the home team.
The Cowboys responded with two runs of their own as junior
Connor Crane knocked in the tying run on an RBI single and followed with a run of his own later in the inning to take a 2-1 lead.
The Jaguars struck again in the third frame as Jose DeLaTorre launched a two run tater to help Southern take the lead again while Southern tacked on two more runs in the inning and stretched its lead to three runs.
McNeese was not about to go down without a fight as the Cowboys clawed their way back to a one run deficit. In the seventh inning, outfielder
Lewis Guilbeau used a sacrifice fly to help plate a run and pinch hitter
Bryce Packard cut the lead again after sending a single into right field and helped score Cantu.
McNeese will be back in action over the Easter weekend as the Cowboys take on New Orleans in a three-game Southland Conference series. The first game is slated to begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 2.
Southern 5, McNeese 4 (Mar 31, 2015 at Lake Charles, La.)
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Southern............ 102 200 000 - 5 7 1 (6-16)
McNeese............. 200 000 110 - 4 10 0 (17-12)
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Pitchers: Southern - Myles, Harold; George, J'Markus(4); Diaz, Rafeal(8) and DeLa Torre, Jose.
McNeese - Brast, Clay; Day, Tyler(5); LaPeze, Cory(8) and LaRosa, Garrett; Toole, Cameron.
Win-George, J'Markus(1-3) Save-Diaz, Rafeal(3) Loss-Brast, Clay(0-1) T-2:25 A-554
HR SUBR - DeLa Torre, Jose 2 (6).
Weather: 74; Fair; SSW 10
