LAKE CHARLES – It was the sheer will and determination that allowed senior
Andrew Guillotte to rise up and deliver a walk-off single and help the McNeese State baseball team top Stephen F. Austin, 9-8, in Friday night's Southland Conference series at Cowboy Diamond.
Just two days after being announced a finalist for the prestigious Senior CLASS Award, Guillotte showed no signs of letting off as he delivered four hits in the ballgame along with two RBI. It is the second time this season that the Moss Bluff native has produced four hits in a game.
It was Guillotte's seventh inning single that initially sealed the deal for the Pokes, who held a one run lead entering the next frame, before delivering the final punch in the last inning as he sent a single into left field and looked on as pinch runner
Matt Trahan scoot home for the win.
The walk-off home win was the second consecutive for McNeese after having delivered a solo-shot over the right field wall against Nicholls last Sunday.
The win improves the Cowboys to 26-20 overall and 15-10 in the SLC standings while SFA dipped to 15-31 on the year and 9-15 in league action. McNeese now holds a 19-9 mark within the confines of Cowboy Diamond this season, a win total that it has not reached since 2011, and has a chance to tie the all-time home wins record with five contests remaining.
Relief pitcher
Collin Kober (5-1) picked up the win for McNeese after tossing the final two innings of the contest and allowed himself to work out of a jam after having given up two runs on two hits.
Guillotte led the offensive effort in the contest while three other Cowboys turned in multiple-hit performances. Senior
Connor Lloyd was effective at the plate with a 2-for-4 performance along with two runs scored, an RBI and a walk. Freshman
Joe Provenzano extended his reached-base streak to 22 games with two hit and a walk.
The Pokes pounded out 14 hits in the contest while Stephen F. Austin stood close by with 13 in the contest.
Each team traded blows within the first three innings of the ballgame that was highlighted by three runs by the Pokes in first inning followed by three runs from the Jacks in the top of the second. SFA climbed out to a 6-4 lead in the top of the fourth frame.
The Cowboys slowly started to claw its way back in the sixth inning with a run that was scored by
Matt Gallier on a wild pitch, cutting the lead to just one run. McNeese then settled for two hits and two runs in the next frame that was given life on a bases loaded walk from
Lucas Quary to knot up the score while Guillotte's hit propelled the Pokes into a 7-6 lead.
An insurance run was added in the eighth by the Cowboys as senior
Connor Lloyd slid across home plate on another wild pitch from the SFA pitching staff to make the score 8-6.
The Jacks used two runs of their own to tie the ballgame for the third time on the night and would force McNeese to use the last inning and score the victory.
The Pokes will be back in action against Stephen F. Austin Saturday afternoon when the two teams meet in game two of the weekend series. The game is slated for a 3 o'clock first pitch.
McNeese 9, Stephen F. Austin 8 (May 01, 2015 at Lake Charles, La.)
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Stephen F. Austin... 031 200 002 - 8 13 1 (15-31, 9-15)
McNeese............. 310 001 211 - 9 14 0 (26-20, 15-10)
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Pitchers: Stephen F. Austin - Gann, Cameron; Stone, Travis(6); Ledet, Patrick(6);
Smith, Austin(7); Wiedenfeld, Tyler(7); Keith, Josh(8) and Boxwell, Tyler; Holsomback, Holden;
Ramos, Nick. McNeese - Fontenot, Kaleb; Prejean, Cole(4); Kober, Collin(8) and Toole, Cameron;
LaRosa, Garrett.
Win-Kober, Collin(5-1) Loss-Keith, Josh(2-3) T-3;29 A-719
HR SFA - O'Neill, Dan (4).
Weather: 83; Partly Cloudy; SW 4 MPH
Smith, A. faced 1 batter in the 7th.
Prejean, C. faced 2 batters in the 8th.
