LAKE CHARLES, La. - After battling back-and-forth through nine innings of offense, the McNeese baseball program (2-4) earned its second consecutive victory over New Mexico State (2-4) with a 7-6 final score at Joe Miller Ballpark Saturday afternoon.
"Anytime you get a win, it's a big deal," said skipper
Justin Hill. "Still want to play better baseball is the main thing we're concerned with."
New Mexico State earned the first runs of the ballgame in the top of the fourth with three, a lead that wouldn't last long.
Just a little over an inning later, the blue and gold retaliated with five runs of their own in the bottom fifth, led off by two singles and a double to score senior
Cooper Hext with one out on the board. As runners sat on second and third, the Aggies chose to walk
Cooper Hext, a redshirt senior. In the next at-bat, junior
Grant Mangrum sent a single through the middle to drive in junior
Conner Westenburg and redshirt freshman
Easton Dowell.
After permitting three runs, the Aggies made a pitching change, getting a flyout for two outs against the next batter. Junior
Simon Larranaga hir a single out to left field to score redshirt senior
Chase Keeton before Mangrum was driven in by senior
Braden Duhon on a single for the 5-3 advantage.
The two-run lead vanished in the sixth inning with the Aggies bringing in two runs before the Cowboys scored Mangrum in the bottom of the seventh for another lead change. Each team scored one run in the eighth inning, Hext earning his second run of the game on a double by Westenburg, his second of the day. McNeese held onto the 7-6 lead through the end of the ninth for the victory.
Ty Abraham made his second start of his redshirt senior campaign, throwing five innings on the mound before senior
JT Moeller entered in relief for 2.2 innings Each of the former earned three strikeouts before seeing the duo of
Kainin Morrow (senior) and
Evan Maldonado (junior) close out the game. Morrow was credited with the win as Maldonado collected his first save of the season.
In his first collegiate start, Dowell collected two hits in three at-bats, also the first of his youthful beginning. Dowell plated one run for the Pokes during the five-run charge in the bottom of the fifth.
"It's a big deal for
Easton Dowell. I thought he had a great day today with two hits and a sac bunt to get the go-ahead run in that ultimately led to be the winning run. I'm proud of him," praised Hill.
Mangrum, Dowell and Westenburg each collected two hits in the outing with six other Pokes earning a hit themselves.
McNeese continues the series against the Aggies Sunday at 1 p.m. at Joe Miller Ballpark ahead of the teams' final contest on Monday.
