LAKE CHARLES- The McNeese Baseball team explode for nine runs in the bottom of the third inning to snap their two-game losing streak with a 12-4 victory over the Missouri Tigers Wednesday afternoon in Joe Miller Ballpark.
 
With that win, the Cowboys improve their overall record to 6-3 on the season. It also marks the largest margin of victory against an SEC school at home and improves their record to 4-0 against SEC teams at the Jeaux under head coach Justin Hill.
 
With the loss, Missouri falls to 4-4 on the season and makes them 0-2 against the Cowboys all-time.
 
The Cowboys surrendered the first run of the game to the Tigers in the top of the third after they strung together a couple singles before exploding for nine in response in the bottom of the inning.
 
In the inning, the Cowboys accumulated nine total hits, including two home runs, one by Clayton Rasbeary and the other by Julian Gonzales, two doubles, and five singles. They also drew two walks and saw every player in the lineup cross home plate at least once except for one.
 
The Cowboys will be back in action come the weekend when they play host to Valparaiso and Southern Miss in the annual Lake Area Classic.
 
KEY INNINGS
3rd | In the top of the inning, the Tigers would plate the game's first run after stringing together three singles to take a 1-0 lead.
 
In the Cowboy half of the inning, Peyton Johnson led off with a double to left field, but was then thrown out at third on Kade Morris' fielder's choice. Then Payton Harden hit a single to left center field and advanced to second on the throw to third. Now with two runners in scoring position, Jake Dickerson then plated Morris with a RBI infield single and then come all the way around to score from first, along with Harden on a double down the left field line by Nate Fisbeck. Next batter, Clayton Rasbeary, then hit a two-run homerun over the right field wall to extend the Cowboys lead to 5-1. Two batters later, Jordan Yeatts reached on a walk and then was brought home on a home run by Julian Gonzales. Johnson then got hit second hit of the inning with a single to right field, followed by a drawn walk by Morris, a single by Harden, and a single by Dickerson. A run scored on both singles and Harden was thrown out at third on Dickerson's, giving the Cowboys a 9-1 lead after the third.
 
4th | In the top of the inning, the Tigers would plate their second run of the game, stringing together a few singles again to make it 9-2 after the fourth.
 
5th | The Tigers would close the Cowboy lead to 9-3 after hitting a solo home run over the right field wall.
 
In the bottom of the inning, the Cowboys would respond with two runs of their own on two singles, an error, a wild pitch, and a stolen base making it 11-3 after five.
 
8th | both teams would tack on one more run to their total, bringing the score to its final 12-4.
 
MCNEESE NOTES
Offense:
The Cowboys were led offensively by Payton Harden and Jake Dickerson, both went 3-for-5 from the plate. Harden finished the game with three singles, one run scored and one RBI, while Dickerson had a double, two singles, two runs scored, two RBI's, and a stolen base.
 
Clayton Rasbeary (1-for-4) and Julian Gonzales (2-for-4) each had a two-run home run to right field and produced a combined eight runs, either driving them in or scoring them.
 
The only other Cowboy with multiple hits was Nate Fisbeck who went 2-for-5 with two RBI's himself.
 
Pitching:
Senior Brad Kincaid got the start for the Cowboys, his first start of the season. Kincaid would go for 2.0 IP and only allow one hit, no runs, walk two batters, and pick up two strikeouts.
 
Freshman Isaac Duplechain (2-0) relived Kincaid to begin the third inning and would go on to earn the win with his 2.2 innings of work before being relieved by Brody Strahan.
 
Strahan, Andrew Sheridan, and Cameron Meeks would combine to throw the final 4.1 innings and only allow the Tigers one more run on six surrendered hits.
 
QUOTES
Clayton Rasbeary on the big nine run inning
"Honestly it started out with guys just getting on base and putting together a lot of quality at-bats together and then capitalizing of the mistake pitches which we did with those two home runs."
 
Rasbeary on what it means to get a win like this against a quality opponent like Missouri
"It just says we're good, I mean if we play up to our opponent every game we are a tough team to beat and it sets a standard for the rest of the year."
 
Head Coach Justin Hill on what it means to get a win like this against a quality opponent like Missouri
"I think the biggest thing was bouncing back after a couple of tough one-run losses on the road, but we were able to put together a big inning and keep it going."
 
Head Coach Justin Hill on tonight's pitching
"It was good to see Brad Kincaid get out there and pitch well, he'd been battling some tendonitis as of late and I thought he looked."
 
"I thought Isaac Duplechain was one of the bigger parts of the game, I know they scored some runs on him but the way they got them says a lot. They had to get all singles to do it, besides the one home run, but to pitch the way he did with the wind blowing the way it was today was what I think got us into the ballgame."
 
"Cameron Meeks is going to be a special player by the time he leaves McNeese, he just needs as much mound time as possible right now to learn the college game and I know he has was it takes to be successful."
 

ON DECK
The Cowboys will be at home this coming weekend as they will host Valparaiso and Southern Miss in the Lake Area Classic at Joe Miller Ballpark.
 
STAY CONNECTED
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