THIBODAUX – McNeese would rather not see Thibodaux in baseball again for a very long time.
 
Not only did Saturday's Southland Conference doubleheader turn into a 12 ½-hour marathon affair thanks to a seven-hour rain delay, the Cowboys were swept in the bayou city for the fourth consecutive trip following the day's 6-5 and 2-1 losses, and have now dropped 13 straight games at Ray E. Didier Field with the last win coming on May 15, 2009.
 
After Friday night's 3-0 blanking, the Cowboys (23-17, 13-10 SLC) showed some life after the lengthy rain delay that started at the top of the seventh inning of the first game with the Colonels leading 3-2.
 
When resuming action, Joe Provenzano got a rally going with a one out double to right field. Conner Crane knocked him in with a double down the left field line to tie the game at 3-3. After Austin Nelson struck out for out number two and Lewis Guilbeau was hit by a pitch, Matt Gallier singled in Crane to give the Cowboys a 4-3 lead, their first of the series.
 
That didn't last long though as Nicholls (20-24, 10-11) pounded out three hits in the bottom of the frame with Gavin Wehby's two run single through the left side that helped spur a 3-run inning to give the Colonels a 6-4 lead.
 
McNeese had one more bite in its attack, that coming in the top of the ninth and again, Provenzano getting things going with his second double of the game to lead off the frame. Nelson scored him on a 1-out grounder to make it 6-5 but Guilbeau struckout for the third out of the inning to end the game.
 
Trent Fontenot (4-5) took the loss in relief work after giving up three runs on three hits in 1 1/3 innings pitched.
 
The Cowboys put 13 hits up on the board but left nine runners on base. Provenzano, Nelson, Guilbeau, Gallier and Will Fox each knocked two hits.
 
Game two was a pitcher's duel for the most part as the Cowboys' Ethan Stremmel gave up one unearned run and scattered six hits with nins Ks in six innings of work. He left the game with it knotted up at 1-1 after the Colonels scored in the first and the Cowboys tied things up in the fourth after Ricky Ramirez led things off with a triple and then scored on a 1-out double by Crane to tie things up. Crane would stay stranded on second as two fly outs followed.
 
With Collin Kober on the mound for the Cowboys to in the seventh, Nicholls went up 2-1 when Wehby hit a 1-out double then scored on a Kyle Reese grounder.
 
Again the Cowboys showed some life in the ninth inning with Provenzano reaching on an error to lead things off. Crane followed with a single as Eric Peterson, who entered to run for Provenzano, advanced to second. Both runners advanced up a base on a Nelson sacrifice bunt. Then with Guilbeau at the plate, he hit a grounder to third and Peterson broke for home to try to tie the game but was thrown out at the plate. Gallier followed with a fly out to right field to end the game.
 
Kober (2-2) took the loss in the game by surrendering one run on two hits. Nicholls starter Alex Ernestine (3-3) got the win after throwing eight innings while allowing one run on four hits with nine Ks.
 
Crane finished the game with two of the Cowboys' four hits.
 
McNeese, who has now dropped six out of its last seven games, will be back in action next Friday to start a conference series at Stephen F. Austin.