LAKE CHARLES – The McNeese baseball team fell victim to another comeback from its opposition Friday night in an extra-inning contest with Central Arkansas as the Bears squeaked by with a 5-4 victory over the Cowboys in 11 frames at Joe Miller Ballpark.
McNeese (24-22, 13-15 SLC) will look to snap its seven game losing skid in conference play Saturday afternoon when it faces off against Central Arkansas (24-23, 13-12 SLC) starting at 3 p.m.
Both squads exchanged leads several times throughout the game but it seemed as though the Bears would have the victory in hand with a 4-3 lead over the Pokes headed into the bottom of the eighth frame. It was there that freshman
Shane Selman launched his eighth home run of the season to tie the ballgame up at four runs apiece for each team.
The two teams exchanged hits for the next three innings until Central Arkansas came up with a home run of its own from catcher Justin McCarty in the top of the 11
th inning to help the Bears hold on for the series opening victory.
Junior reliever
Collin Kober (2-4) was charged with the loss after giving up the winning run in the last inning despite tossing three frames and struck out two.
Starter
Kaleb Fontenot turned in another quality start for the Cowboys as he tossed 7.0 innings and allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks while having struck out eight batters.
Fontenot now stands third all-time in McNeese career strikeouts with 134 surpassing Chris Denton who play from 2003-07.
Junior
Will Fox turned in another three-hit effort Friday night along with two runs scored while centerfielder
Ricky Ramirez also hit three times with an RBI and a run scored.
Lewis Guilbeau registered his 11
th double of the season as he hit twice in the ballgame while
Cameron Toole turned in a pair of hits during. McNeese collected 14 hits as a team while UCA hit eight times.
With the score tied at 1-1, McNeese took its first lead of the game in the fourth with Ramirez's sacrifice fly to scored Fox and make it a one run lead for the Pokes.
UCA cut into the lead in the seventh with a run until another sacrifice fly pushed the Cowboys ahead of the Bears, 3-2, following Crane's sacrifice fly into right field.
Central Arkansas followed with a two-out, two-run effort in the eighth to do more damage to the scoreboard.
McNeese committed one error in the game and left 11 runners on base while the Bears stranded eight and churned out two double plays.
Central Arkansas 5, McNeese 4 (May 13, 2016 at Lake Charles, La.)
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Central Arkansas.... 010 000 120 01 - 5 8 0 (24-23, 13-12 SLC)
McNeese............. 010 100 110 00 - 4 14 1 (24-22, 13-15 SLC)
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Pitchers: Central Arkansas - Davenport, Cody; Gray, Tyler(8) and McCarty, Justin. McNeese -
Fontenot, Kaleb; Fontenot, Trent(8); Kober, Collin(9) and Toole, Cameron.
Win-Gray, Tyler(5-1) Loss-Kober, Collin(2-4) T-3:13 A-654
HR UCA - Strong, Hunter (2).
HR MCN - Selman, Shane (8).
Weather: 84; Sunny & Warm; Wind: NE 5
Fontenot, K. faced 2 batters in the 8th.
