LAKE CHARLES – McNeese baseball defeated John Melvin University 10-1 as the squads met for the first time Wednesday evening at Joe Miller Ballpark as two Cowboys hit 3-for-4 on the day. The Cowboys rise to 15-4 on the season, off to their best start since 2000 while the Millers fall to 12-15 on the campaign.
 
The Cowboys came one double shy of tying the program record, hitting eight in the performance with the first two hitters kick-starting the game with back-to-back doubles.
 
Conner Westenburg, a senior, cracked open the game in the first with a double down the left line, proceeded by a stolen base before scoring on a wild pitch. Following Westenburg's stint around the bases, redshirt Easton Dowell ripped another double down the left line for back-to-back lead off doubles. He would score on an RBI groundout by senior Marcus Heusohn.
 
Two innings later in the bottom of the third with two outs on the board, Heusohn send a two-run home-run ball over the right-center wall to double the lead to 4-0. Dowell came home on the homer after singling two at-bats earlier and stealing second.
 
McNeese tabbed another pair of runs in the fourth with two outs on the board on back-to-back doubles to score redshirt junior Braley Hollins who reached on a walk and senior Grant Mangrum who had the initial double. Westenburg hit the latter double to drive in Mangrum.
 
The Millers scored a run in the top of the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly with runners on first and third.
 
The Cowboys responded with a three-run home run sent out of the ballpark by Larranaga to extend their lead to 9-1. Graduate student Davis Meche and sophomore Mack Brousseau who sat on first and second respectively came home on the long ball.
 
Larranaga earned the 10^th and final run of the game for the Cowboys with a solo home run out to left center.
 
McNeese returns to action on the road in Hammond against Southeastern who enters the series undefeated in conference play and second in the standings.
 
Pitching Appearances
Caleb Strmiska: 2.0 IP, 4 K's, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, Win
Eric Nachtsheim: 2.0 IP, 0 K's, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER
Braedyn Cunningham: 1.0 IP, 1 K, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 ER
Marcus Mott: 2.0 IP, 2 K's, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 ER
Diego Corrales: 1.0 IP, 2 K's, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 ER
Max Swenson: 1.0 IP, 2 K's, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 ER
 
McNeese Notes
• Caleb Strmiska tied his career-high for strikeouts in a game with four. His season high was previously two.
• Simon Larranaga and Mack Brousseau extended their team-leading hitting streaks to 10 games.
• Easton Dowell and Simon Larranaga each went for a team-high 3-for-4 at the plate.
• Marcus Heusohn has moved to a six-game hitting streak.
• Ten runs is the fourth-highest scored for the Cowboys this season.
• McNeese has scored at least one run in 47 straight games.
• Multi-Hit Games: Conner Westenburg, Easton Dowell, Simon Larranaga