LAKE CHARLES – A pair of RBI-hits from
Shane Selman plus a
Matt Gallier tater late in the game was enough to carry the McNeese baseball team past Stephen F. Austin, 4-1, in Friday's Southland Conference series opener to earn its 11
th consecutive home win dating back to last season.
The home win streak currently stands as the fifth longest in the country and only three games behind leaders Louisville and South Florida. The Cowboys also are tied for fourth for the nation's best home record this season with a 9-0 mark.
The win improved McNeese to 13-5 overall and 4-0 in league play while SFA dropped to 8-11 on the season with an 0-1 SLC record.
Gallier and Selman combined for four hits and three of the contest's four runs on the night. Gallier extended his reached base streak to 16 consecutive games while Selman recorded his sixth multiple-hit effort this year.
The Lumberjacks plated a run in the top of the third inning but the Cowboys knotted things up in the bottom side of the fourth as Selman doubled into left field, bring Provenzano home to score.
Provenzano finished the night with a 2-for-4 effort along with one run scored. It was the fifth multiple hit game of the season for the junior second baseman.
Following the fourth, the contest entered a pitcher's duel as both teams put runners aboard but was unable to cash in. McNeese left six runners stranded from the fourth until the sixth inning.
It wasn't until the final three innings that the Pokes cashed in on their hitting efforts as Selman struck again with a single scoring the go ahead run while a bases-loaded walk from
Jake Cochran lifted the Cowboys to a 3-1 score.
Matt Gallier's fifth career tater in the bottom of the eighth added the insurance run the Cowboys were seeking to make the score a 4-1 advantage over the Lumberjacks.
Grant Anderson improved to 3-0 on the season after tossing two innings of relief work and allowing no runs to score and one hit.
Trent Fontenot was credited with his fourth save on the year after working the final inning and record two strikeouts.
McNeese left 13 total on base while SFA stranded 10 total on the evening. The Cowboys held the hit advantage over the Jacks, 10-7. It was the ninth time this season that McNeese had 10 or more hits in a game.
Stephen F. Austin was the first squad since Prairie View A&M to record the first run in a game vs. McNeese while the Pokes were not the first to score a run for just the fourth time this season.
Both squads will be back in action Saturday afternoon with first pitch slated for 3 p.m. at The Jeaux.
McNeese 4, Stephen F. Austin 1 (Mar 17, 2017 at Lake Charles, La.)
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Stephen F. Austin... 001 000 000 - 1 7 0 (8-11, 0-1 SLC)
McNeese............. 000 100 21X - 4 10 0 (13-5, 4-0 SLC)
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Pitchers: Stephen F. Austin - Kiminski, Trevor; Ridgely, Cole(6); Campbell, Seth(7);
Vest, Will(7); Hearn, Austin(8) and Kahawaii, Clark. McNeese - Sanders, Austin;
Anderson, Grant(7); Fontenot, Trent(9) and Duhon, Dustin.
Win-Anderson, Grant(3-0) Save-Fontenot, Trent(4) Loss-Ridgely, Cole(2-1) T-3:00 A-641
HR MCN - Gallier, Matt (5).
Weather: 71; Partly Cloudy; Wind: S12
Kiminski, T. faced 3 batters in the 6th.
Ridgely, C. faced 2 batters in the 7th.
