LAKE CHARLES – McNeese earned its third shutout of the campaign in a 14-0 run-rule victory over Dillard baseball Wednesday night at Joe Miller Ballpark for its second consecutive run-rule victory. The Cowboys extend their winning streak to four games while sitting at 19-5 (8-4 SLC) as Dillard shifts to a 15-14 record.
 
Cooper Golden and Alexis Gravel, a junior and senior respectively, threw the first five innings of the game, each striking out five batters while permitting only four hits between the duo. The five strikeouts for Golden marked a career high as Gravel recorded his fourth victory of the season. All four pitchers recorded a strikeout on the mound.
 
Eight starters for the Pokes recorded a hit for the third consecutive game as four recorded multi-hit games with two apiece. The offense has earned double-digit hitting performances in four straight contests and 15 during the 2025 campaign.
 
After three scoreless innings for both squads, McNeese sparked offensively in the fourth inning with seven runs. The first run of the evening came on a double by sophomore Gage Trahan to send home Larry Edwards Jr., a junior. Trahan then made his way home on an RBI ground out by redshirt sophomore Easton Dowell after advancing to third on a balk.
 
The Cowboys picked up two singles with senior Conner Westenburg getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Cole Plowman (senior) scored on a wild pitch shortly after. Sophomore Mack Brousseau sent two runs across home plate on a single out to center before a double by senior Marcus Heusohn drove in classmate Simon Larranaga and advancing Brousseau to third. Brousseau earned the final run of the frame on a double by Edwards Jr. in his second at-bat of the inning.
 
McNeese continued its offensive run into the fifth with an additional six runs to make it 13-0 at The Jeaux. With bases juiced, Brousseau sent a sacrifice fly to center field to score Plowman. Bryce Fontenot, a freshman, entered to pinch hit and was walked on four pitches. Edwards Jr. cleared the bases with a double to the left-center wall to drive in junior Connor Schneider, Larranaga, and Fontenot. He'd come home himself on the next at-bat on a double by Trahan. Trahan scored on a single up the middle by Dowell for the 13^th run of the evening.
 
McNeese earned with 14^th and final run of the night on a solo home run shot over the left-center wall as Larranaga trotted around the bases with his seventh homer of the season.
 
McNeese will take a weekend off before returning to Joe Miller Ballpark on Tuesday, April 1 against Alcorn at 6 p.m.
 
Pitching Appearances
Cooper Golden: 3.0 IP, 5 K's, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER
Alexis Gravel: 2.0 IP, 5 K's, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, Win
Eric Nachtsheim: 1.0 IP, 1 K, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER
Braedyn Cunningham: 1.0 IP, 3 K's, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER
 
McNeese Notes
• Cooper Golden struck out a career-high five batters in the outing.
• The Cowboys have struck out 24 batters over its last two games.
• Eight starters recorded at least one hit in the second straight game for the Cowboys.
• Four batters recorded multi-hit games, each earning two hits in the game.
• Marcu Heusohn extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
• Mack Brousseau has reached base in 15 straight contests.
• McNeese has recorded 10+ hits in 15 games this season.
• The Pokes have struck out 10+ batters in 12 games on the campaign.
• McNeese has scored multiple runs in 22 games this season.
• Coach Hill is off to his best start at the helm and the program's best since starting 24-5 in 1991.
• McNeese has scored in 23 of 24 games this season.
• The Cowboys have recorded four run-rule victories on the season, the most since earning eight in 2022.
• Multi-Hit Games: Simon Larranaga, Larry Edwards Jr., Gage Trahan, Easton Dowell