LAKE CHARLES – McNeese recorded its third consecutive victory as Conner Westenburg ended the game on an RBI walk-off triple in the bottom of the seventh to run-rule Southern 15-5 at Joe Miller Ballpark Tuesday night. The Cowboys improve to 18-5, their best start since beginning 24-5 in 1991 as the Jaguars drop to 9-13.
 
The 15 runs scored is the second-most this season by the Cowboys with the highest scoring game happening against Dillard with 19 runs. Eight of the nine starters recorded a hit in the performance with four recording multi-hit games.
 
Both squads exchanged blows in the first inning with the Jaguars scoring the initial run on a sacrifice bunt. Westenburg, a senior, responded by tying up the game at one a piece, scoring on a wild pitch in the bottom first.
 
Southern plated three runs in the top frame of the third before the Pokes retaliated with three of their own. Sophomore Mack Brousseau plated the next run of the game on a wild pitch with bases loaded. Once again with bases juiced, redshirt sophomore Easton Dowell hit a sacrifice fly to center to score senior Marcus Heusohn. The final run of the inning was scored on an RBI hit-by-pitch as junior Larry Edwards Jr. came home.
 
Edwards Jr. kickstarted a five-run bottom fourth with an RBI double with one out on the board as Heusohn came home. He came home on the next at-bat in an RBI groundout by graduate student Davis Meche. Westenburg raked in three RBIs with a triple down the right-field line to score seniors Grant Mangrum and Cole Plowman, along with Dowell.
 
McNeese continued to roll with its offense, plating an additional three runs in the fifth for a 12-4 advantage. Brousseau recorded the first run of the frame on an RBI single by Edwards Jr. followed by an RBI single by Dowell to drive in Heusohn. Mangrum earned a run batted in on a bases-loaded walk for the final run of the fifth.
 
The pitching staff recorded its 11^th game striking out double-digit batters with each pitcher recording at least one strikeout. Graduate student Blayne Fritcher recorded his second victory of the season for the Pokes over 1.2 innings of work. Fritcher and classmate Parker Primeaux each struck out three batters.
 
Southern would plate its fifth run in the sixth before Westenburg's triple closed out the game.
 
McNeese returns to action Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Dillard at Joe Miller Ballpark before taking a bye weekend.
 
Pitching Appearances
Jake Blackwell: 2.0 IP, 2 K's, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 ER
Paul Coppinger: 0.1 IP, 1 K, 4 H, 1 BB, 3 ER
Blayne Fritcher: 1.2 IP, 3 K's, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, Win
Parker Primeaux: 2.0 IP, 3 K's, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 ER
Marcus Mott: 1.0 IP, 1 K, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER
 
McNeese Notes
• Marcus Heusohn leads the team with a 10-game hitting streak.
• Mack Brousseau has reached base in 14 games, a season-high for the Pokes.
• Six Cowboys own hitting streaks of three or more games.
• McNeese has recorded three run-rule victories this season, the most since the team had eight in 2022.
• Every pitcher recorded at least one strikeout in the outing
• McNeese has scored in 22 of 23 games this season.
• McNeese continues its best start to a season since 1991 when the program went 24-5.
• McNeese has won eight straight games against Southern dating back to 2015.
• 14^th game the squad has earned 10+ hits.
• 11^th game McNeese has recorded 10+ strikeouts in a game.
• 21^st game scoring two or more runs this season.
• The 15 runs are the second-most scored by the Pokes in 2025.
• Multiple-Hit Games: Marcus Heusohn, Easton Dowell, Larry Edwards Jr., Conner Westenburg