HAMMOND – McNeese got a great pitching performance from starter Burrell Jones who threw four scoreless innings and allowed just one hit while the Cowboys built a 3-0 lead midway through the game, but Southeastern put up a five-run, seventh inning then broke a 7-7 tie with a run in the eighth to edge McNeese 8-7 on Saturday night.
 
The teams will play the rubber match at 1 on Sunday for the series win. McNeese fell to 23-12 overall and 5-6 in Southland Conference play while SLU improved to 18-17 and 4-7. The win for the Lions snapped a McNeese four-game winning streak.
 
Christian Vega (3-3), who picked up the win in relief effort on Friday night, was dealt the loss after he allowed three runs, two of those unearned, in two innings.
 
McNeese out-hit Southeastern by a 9-5 margin. Left fielder Cooper Hext posted a 3-for-5 game with two doubles and RBI. Shortstop Josh Leslie finished 2-for-5 with a double and added to his league leading RBI total with one knocked in and designated hitter Tré Obregon III finished 2-for-3 at the plate with a couple of runs batted in.
 
The Cowboys took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third off a Hext RBI double and a sacrifice fly by Obregon. The lead grew to 3-0 in the sixth when a Braden Duhon RBI fielder's choice scored Brad Burckel.
 
Southeastern scored two in the bottom of the sixth on a couple of bases loaded walks to cut the McNeese lead to 3-2. The Cowboys then scored three runs in the seventh to go up 6-2 but SLU answered with its five-run frame to take a 7-6 lead.
 
Leslie's RBI double with two outs in the eighth tied the game at 7-7 before the Lions scored the game winner on a two-out single to make it 8-7.
 
McNeese had the tying run on third base with two outs in the ninth, but a strikeout ended the game.