SUGAR LAND- McNeese scored early then rode the masterful pitching of starter Rhett Deaton as the Cowboys downed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 7-2 in a winner's bracket game of the 2019 Southland Conference Tournament Thursday night.
 
The victory advanced McNeese (33-24) into the championship round of its side of the bracket and will face with winner of an elimination game between Corpus Christi and UIW, at 7 p.m. on Friday night. A win there and the Cowboys will move into Saturday's championship game but a loss will force one more game with the Cardinals.
 
It's also the first time since the 2003 tournament that the Cowboys have won their first two tourney games. McNeese went on to win that tournament and go on to play in the NCAA Regionals which is also the last appearance the Cowboys have made in the NCAA tourney.
 
Deaton (8-4) held the Islanders hitless through four innings and allowed just one hit through seven. He finished the game with 7.1 innings pitched, two runs allowed, one earned, and struck out four batters.
 
The Cowboys scored the game's first runs of the game in the second inning off an RBI single to right center field by senior catcher Dustin Duhon and an RBI groundout by sophomore shortstop Reid Bourque.
 
In the fourth, McNeese tacked on three more runs, one when Islanders starting pitcher Dustin Lacaze was called for a balk, and two more from on back-to-back RBI doubles by Duhon and Payton Harden to give the Cowboys a commanding 5-0 lead.
 
The Cowboys scored their final run of the game in the seventh inning on an RBI single by Jake Dickerson to increase the score to 6-0.
 
After Deaton surrendered his first hit of the game on a bunt single in the fifth, he sat down nine batters in order before his next hit surrendered which was a triple to lead-off the eighth.
 
The Islanders scored their only two runs of the game in the eighth inning to bring the score to 6-2.
 
The Cowboys got one of those runs back with an RBI infield single by Dickerson with the bases loaded to bring the score to its final 7-2.
 
Will Dion relieved Deaton with one out in the eighth and threw 1.2 perfect innings to close out the game.
 
McNeese has used just three pitchers in the two tournament games.
 
 
KEY INNINGS
 
2nd | In the top of the inning, Jake Dickerson drew a walk and Carson Maxwell singled through the left side to give the Cowboys two runners on base with no outs. Dickerson was then called out at third on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Julian Gonzales. Maxwell and Gonzales then advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Dustin Duhon then delivered an RBI single to right center field to plate the Cowboys first run, Gonzales advanced to third on the play. Reid Bourque then drove in the final run of the inning on an RBI groundout to first base, giving the Cowboys an early 2-0 lead.
 
4th | Dickerson lead the inning off with a single to the right side of the infield and then stole second during Maxwell's at-bat. Maxwell then reached base on an errored throw by the shortstop, Dickerson advanced, giving Gonzales runners on the corners and no outs. Maxwell and Dickerson then advanced a base on the balk by the Islanders pitcher, plating Dickerson. Maxwell then scored off an RBI double to center field by Duhon. Duhon then scored the Cowboys last run of the inning off a Payton Harden double in to left center field to give the Cowboys a 5-0 lead.
 
7th | Fisbeck and Selman each reached base on walks, then Dickerson plated Fisbeck on a single to the left side of the infield to extend the Cowboys lead to 6-0 after the seventh.
 
8th | In the bottom of the inning, the Islanders scored their only two runs of the game to being the final to 6-2.
 
9th | In the ninth, with the bases loaded after Fisbeck doubled to right center and Rasbeary and Selman reaching from being hit-by-pitch, Dickerson stepped into the batter's box and delivered a one out RBI infield single to bring the score to a 7-2 final.
 
MCNEESE NOTES
 
Offense:
 
The Cowboys were led offensively by Jake Dickerson and Dustin Duhon. Dickerson finished 4-for-4 from the plate, all four singles, two RBIs, a drawn walk, a run scored, and a stolen base.
 
Duhon finished 2-for-4 from the plate including a single and a double, two RBIs, and a run scored.
 
Payton Harden and Reid Bourque were each credited with an RBI also.
 
Pitching:
 
Junior right-handed pitcher Rhett Deaton got the start for the Cowboys in Thursday night's game. Deaton finished with 7.1 IP, gave up only two runs, one being earned, on three hits, struck out four, and got the win.
 
Will Dion relieved Deaton with one out in the eighth inning. Dion finished the final 1.2 innings of the game, allowed no hits, no runs, and struck out two batters.
 
ON DECK
The Cowboys will be back in action tomorrow in Sugar Land, Texas for round three of the Southland Conference Tournament. Their opponent will be the winner of the Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Incarnate Word game in the last game of the day, first pitch is set for 7 p.m.
 
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