FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – After a 13-year wait between the two teams seeing each other, McNeese Baseball faced off with Arkansas in a doubleheader Saturday at Baum-Walker Stadium, falling in both contests 3-1 and 11-1, looking to face off again Sunday afternoon. McNeese falls to 8-7 on the 2024 campaign as the Razorbacks rise to 12-2.

McNeese held the Razorbacks close in the first game of the day, limiting the offense to three runs for the second-closest game in program history against a Top 5 opponent with a two-run game.

The Cowboys extend a scoring streak to 12 games after plating a run in the top of the sixth inning in the first game before repeating with another run in the top of the sixth in the latter game.

McNeese and Arkansas round out the three-game weekend series Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. and will be streamed on SEC Network + with live stats and radio available.
 
Game 1:
The Cowboys attacked the Razorbacks offensively, collecting eight hits in the performance in which seven different batters collected a hit. Redshirt senior Chase Keeton and senior Cooper Hext led the team in walks, collecting two each for the team's five.
 
The Razorbacks plated the first two runs of the game in the third in fourth innings. Breaking up the scoring was McNeese in the sixth inning on an RBI single by senior Braden Duhon, bringing in fellow senior Peyton LeJeune.
 
With a one-run lead, Arkansas scored another run in the bottom of the sixth with the last three innings remaining silent.
 
Batting 2-for-5 against the Razorbacks, junior Conner Westenburg earned his seventh multi-hit game of the season, fourth with two hits totaled.
 
Starter Cameron LeJeune, a redshirt junior, put up a strong outing with five innings of work, striking out four batters on the mound. JT Moeller, a senior, followed him up with three innings pitched, striking out five that he saw, not allowing a single run. LeJeune was given the loss as the win went to Arkansas's Hagen Smith.
 
Pitching appearances:
Cameron LeJeune: 5.0 IP, 4 K's, 7 H, 3 ER
JT Moeller: 3.0 IP, 5 K's, 2 H, 0 ER


Game 2:
McNeese continued the doubleheader with an 11-1 game that Arkansas took in eight innings. The bats continued to blaze for the Pokes as they collected seven hits with five batters each earning at least one.
 
Redshirt freshman Easton Dowell was one of two batters to have a multi-hit game, going 2-for-3 at the plate, drawing one walk. Duhon also had a 2-for-3 day, scoring the team's lone run in the sixth inning.
 
Westenburg furthered his hitting streak to 12 with a single in the top of the fourth, starting the streak against UL-Lafayette on February 20.
 
Voss, a senior, came one strikeout shy of cracking his season-high of seven with his six strikeouts against the Razorbacks. Mott took advantage of his opportunity on the mound, pitching a season-high 2.2 innings with another season-high in five strikeouts.

Pitching appearances:
Zach Voss: 5.0 IP, 6 K's, 8 H, 5 ER
Marcus Mott: 2.2 IP, 5 K's, 5 H, 5 ER
Kohl Navarre: 0.0 IP, 0 K's, 1 H, 1 ER
 
McNeese Notes
- The 3-1 performance in game one was the second closest McNeese has held a Top 5 program in the team's history, keeping the second-ranked Razorbacks within two runs.
- Westenburg extended his hitting streak to 12 with two hits in the first game and one in the latter.
- McNeese has earned at least six hits in 14 of the team's 15 games.
- The Cowboys used only two pitchers in the first game while forcing the Razorbacks to having four.