HAMMOND – Southeastern Louisiana scored 11 runs in the middle three innings then held off a late McNeese rally on its way to a 13-9 Southland Conference win on Saturday, evening the series 2-2.
 
With the loss, McNeese falls to 14-13 overall and 8-7 in league play while SLU keeps its hold on first place while improving to 18-10 and 11-5.
 
McNeese will visit LSU on Tuesday before hosting Incarnate Word next weekend.
 
Southeastern took a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a two-run home run off McNeese starting pitcher Christian Vega.
 
The Cowboys took the lead with in the third when Ben David led things off with a triple and scored off a Payton Harden sac fly to cut the lead to 2-1. Clayton Rasbeary followed with a double and Nate Fisbeck homered to put the Cowboys up 3-2.
 
The Lions regained the lead in the fourth with two runs to go up 4-3 but McNeese answered with a couple of runs in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead.
 
SLU scored three unearned runs in the fifth then opened the game up with a six-run sixth inning to take a 13-5 run.
 
But the Cowboys didn't fold, when in the eighth, an RBI single by Peyton Johnson and a three-run homer by Rasbeary closed the gap to 13-9. But McNeese would not get any closer as the Lions closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning.
 
Rasbeary ended the day 4 for 5 at the plate with three RBI and three runs scored. Both Harden and Fisbeck each pounded out two hits.
 
Cameron Meeks, the fourth of eight Cowboy pitchers to take the mound on the day, took the loss and is now 0-1 on the season.
 
McNeese out-hit SLU by a 12-11 margin.