Box Score ABILENE, Texas – It was nerve wracking, but in the end, the McNeese Cowboys got what it needed with a run in the top of the 10^th off a Nate Fisbeck two-out single to score Payton Harden to lead McNeese to a 7-6, 10-inning Southland Conference win over Abilene Christian on Sunday afternoon.
 
The win notched the Cowboys' first league series win on the road for the season, and more importantly, now holds the tie-breaker over the Wildcats in the league standings as a slew of teams are in the running for the postseason tournament with just three weekends of play remaining.
 
McNeese improved to 23-21 overall and 9-12 in the conference while ACU fell to 22-20 and 9-12.
 
"That's a big series win on the road," said head coach Justin Hill. "They're (ACU) a tough team to play at their place and their record proves it. We knew it was a series we needed to win and to do it after dropping game one and having to go extra-innings on Sunday, tells you a lot about the character of our team.
 
"I'm really proud of them."
 
McNeese wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard after Harden, who finished the day 3-for-5 in the lead-off spot, started off the game with a single then stole second. He later scored off a Shane Selman sacrifice fly to put McNeese up 1-0. Clayton Rasbeary, who drew a one-out walk, made his way around the bases and eventually scored off a Jake Dickerson infield single to put the Cowboys up 2-0 after one inning.
 
Harden put the Cowboys up 3-0 with an RBI single in the second inning, then the lead grew to 4-0 in the third following a Dickerson RBI single to score Rasbeary, who hit a one-out double to get on base.
 
ACU came back with two runs in the bottom of the third but the Cowboys got one of those runs back in the fifth off a Brett Whelton RBI single that scored Carson Maxwell who reached on a two-out double. That put McNeese up 5-2 until ACU score solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings to close the gap to 5-4.
 
On the mound, Cowboy starter Jonathan Ellison threw three innings and gave up two runs on four hits. Peyton McLemore followed with two innings pitched and allowed two runs on four hits.
 
With the Wildcats attempting a rally in the sixth and following a Lane Bourland RBI single with no outs cut the McNeese lead to 5-4, Hill went to the bullpen for Will Dion who put a quick halt to the rally by getting ACU to ground out followed by back-to-back strike outs.
 
Dion pitched a perfect seventh, and after McNeese upped its lead to 6-4 after a two-out, RBI double by Harden scored Reid Bourque, Dion was lifted in the bottom of the eighth inning after walking the lead-off batter while Aidan Anderson entered the game.
 
Anderson got the next three batters down in order but got into trouble in the ninth after the first four ACU batters reached base, three on singles and one walk. The third single score a run to pull the Wildcats to within 6-5, then a double play grounder by Collin Chaney scored the tying run but the Cowboys got two outs in the trade.
 
Anderson intentionally walked Ryne Randle to put ACU into a force situation and Seth Watts grounded out to short to end the inning.
 
In the 10^th, Fisbeck's two-out single to left field scored Julian Gonzales who go things going with a one-out double to right field. That put the Cowboys up 7-6 while in the bottom of the inning, Anderson got the Wildcats down in order to pick up his third win of the season.
 
McNeese finished with 14 hits in the game, three each by Harden and Dickerson while Gonzales added two. Every starter in the lineup pelted at least one hit.
 
ACU reliever Brennan Lewis (1-1) took the loss after he allowed two runs on six hits in five innings of action.
 
The Wildcats, who entered the series with an 18-8 home record, dropped their first league series at home this season with McNeese taking the honors.
 
The Cowboys will be back in action on Wednesday (May 1) when they visit Southeastern Louisiana for a non-conference game and will be back home Friday-Sunday for another crucial Southland Conference series when Stephen F. Austin comes to Joe Miller Ballpark.