LAKE CHARLES- The McNeese Cowboys baseball team defeated the Houston Cougars in a 1-0 combined two-hit shutout Tuesday night at Joe Miller Ballpark behind a stellar pitching performance from the McNeese bullpen.
Brett Payne had a rough start to the game for the Cowboys, loaded the bases with no outs in the first and put two on in the second with one out, but was able to get two clutch double play balls to get out of each inning and hold the Cougars scoreless.
Peyton McLemore relieved Payne to start the third inning and would dominate the next five innings. McLemore faced 18 batters, gave up only one hit, walked only one, struck out eight batters, four looking and four swinging, and captured his first win of the season.
In the ninth inning,
Aidan Anderson would come in to close the game for the Cowboys and he would do just that. Anderson faced three batters, striking out the first two and getting the third to fly out to Peyton Harden in centerfield to end the game and complete the season sweep of the Cougars.
McNeese will be back on the field Friday night in conference play against Incarnate Word at Joe Miller Ballpark. First pitch is set for 6 p.m.
KEY INNINGS
1st | After having the bases loaded with no outs, the Cowboys make two great defensive plays, a 5-2-3 double play and a diving put out by
Reid Bourque to get out of the top half of the inning. In the bottom half the Cowboys would also load the bases with no outs after a four-pitch walk by Bourque, single by
Nate Fisbeck, and a hit-by-pitch by
Clayton Rasbeary. Two batters later, Dickerson would hit a slow chopper in front of the plate to score one run and would be thrown out at first, but not before giving the Cowboys a 1-0 lead.
MCNEESE NOTES
Offense: The Cowboys were led offensively by
Nate Fisbeck going 2-for-4 with two singles.
Reid Bourque recorded the only run of the ball game and
Jake Dickerson was awarded the RBI.
Pitching:
Freshman right-handed pitcher
Brett Payne would get the start in Tuesday night's game, going 2.0 innings, giving up no runs on one hit, and get the no decision.
Peyton McLemore would start the third inning in relief of Payne and go on to throw 5.0 innings, giving up no runs on one hit, strike out eight batters and get the win, his first win of the season.
Brad Kincaid and
Will Dion would combine to pitch the eighth inning and give up no runs on no hits. Dion got the last two outs of the inning with a clutch 5-4-3 double play.
Aidan Anderson would enter the game to start the ninth. Anderson would throw 1.0 inning, strikeout two of the three batters faced and pick up his third save on the season.
ON DECK
The Cowboys will host Incarnate Word at home in Joe Miller Ballpark over the weekend in a three-game league series with the first game being Friday at 6 p.m., second game on Saturday at 3 p.m. and the finale on Sunday at 1 p.m.
STAY CONNECTED
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