SAN ANTONIO – Incarnate Word scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to rally from a 4-3 deficit, then held off a late-inning McNeese rally as the Cardinals won the weekend series with an 8-6 Southland Conference victory over the Cowboys on Saturday afternoon.
 
McNeese (27-15, 8-9 SLC) saw the return of starting pitcher Bryson Hudgens, whose last action came over 400 days ago back on February 18, 2022 and when Tommy John Surgery sideline him for the remainder of the season and most of this year.
 
Hudgens threw a pre-determined one inning and allowed two unearned runs with a strike out.
 
The Cowboys battled back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game with a couple of unearned runs in the fifth inning when a fielding error by the UIW pitcher lead to a two-run single by Brad Burckel.
 
UIW (24-19, 11-6) re-took the lead with a run in the bottom of the fifth but McNeese answered by plating two more runs in the sixth inning to go up 4-3.
 
The Cardinals scored four runs in the bottom of the frame, three of those runs scoring when Warren Laster cleared bags with a bases loaded triple. Another run in the seventh built UIW's lead to 8-4. The Cowboys added two more runs in the eighth to close the gap to 8-6.
 
Relief pitcher Burrell Jones (3-2) took the loss after he gave up five runs on five hits in five innings of action. Cameron Lejeune threw the last two innings and allowed one run on three hits.
 
UIW's Kayden Cassidy (2-2) picked up the win after throwing six innings and giving up four runs, one earned, on five hits.
 
Offensively, McNeese recorded eight hits as Braden Duhon, Tré Obregon III and Payton Harden each collected two.
 
The series will conclude with a 1 p.m. start on Sunday.