SAN ANTONIO, Texas – McNeese extended the nation's longest baseball winning streak to 11 games in an 8-1 victory over UIW Saturday at Sullivan Field. The Cowboys improve to a program record 26-5, 13-4 SLC, as the Cardinals move to 15-23, 2-18 SLC, on the season.
 
McNeese clinched its first series victory over UIW since the 2022 campaign and seventh series victory of the season.
 
Alexis Gravel, a senior, earned his fourth victory of 2025, throwing a team-high six innings on the day, striking out nine batters while only permitting three hits. Three pitchers combined for eight shutout innings with the only run coming on a home run.
 
Offensively, seniors Conner Westenburg and Marcus Heusohn each hit 3-for-4 with the former scoring three runs and the latter earning three runs batted in.
 
Westenburg earned a leadoff hit to kick off the first inning four pitches into the at-bat before stealing second shortly after. The steal put the center fielder in position to score on a single by Heusohn out to left field to lead 1-0.
 
Simon Larranaga earned his eighth home run of his senior campaign with a two-shot homer over the center field wall to make it a 3-0 ballgame in San Antonio in the top of the second.
 
After a couple of quiet innings, McNeese went back to action in the fifth kicked off by another run scored by Westenburg off a single by sophomore Mack Brousseau. Shortly after, Larry Edwards Jr., a junior, brought home freshman Bryce Fontenot on an RBI fielder's choice to extend his team leading RBIs to 32 on the season.
 
Holding a 5-0 advantage, Heusohn stepped up to the plate to tack on a pair of insurance runs on a single through the right side to score Westenburg and Fontenot. The run for Westenburg was his third of the day with Fontenot's being his second.
 
The Cowboys and Cardinals exchanged blows in the eighth with redshirt sophomore Easton Dowell scoring on a single by Westenburg before UIW earned a solo home run to break up the shutout.
 
McNeese and UIW close out the series at 1:05 p.m. Sunday at Sullivan Field.
 
Pitching Appearances
Alexis Gravel: 6.0 IP, 9 K's, 3 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, Win
Braedyn Cunningham: 1.0 IP, 1 K, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER
Blayne Fritcher: 1.0 IP, 1 K, 1 H, 0 BB, 1 ER
Caleb Strmiska: 1.0 IP, 1 K, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER
 
McNeese Notes
• McNeese leads the nation with an 11-game winning streak.
• McNeese continues to set a new program record with a 26-5 start
• The Cowboys have scored in 10 straight games and 30 of 31 this season.
• McNeese has earned 10+ hits in 19 games this season and 10+ strikeouts in 15 games.
• Eight of nine starters recorded a hit for the Pokes. 
• Easton Dowell leads the team with an 11-game hitting streak, tied for the longest this season.
• Mack Brousseau has reached base in 22 straight outings with Conner Westenburg behind him by a game at 21.
• The 11-game win streak is the longest since the program started off 11-0 in 1989.
• Marks the first series win over UIW in three seasons.
• Multi-Hit Games: Conner Westenburg, Bryce Fontenot, Marcus Heusohn, Simon Larranaga