EDINBURG, Texas – UTRGV used a six-run fifth inning to erase a McNeese lead it took with a couple of runs in the top half of the inning, and the Vaqueros evened the Southland Conference series with a 9-5 win over the Cowboys Saturday night.
 
Despite the loss, McNeese (30-9, 17-6) remains in a tie for first place in the league standings with Southeastern, a 4-3 loser to HCU. The Cowboys hold the tiebreaker over the Lions. UTRGV improved to 27-15 overall, 18-8 in the conference and just a half game behind McNeese and Southeastern in the standings.
 
McNeese will look to win its ninth weekend series, seventh in conference play, when the two teams play the finale at noon on Sunday on ESPN+.
 
NOTEBOOK
• McNeese finished with five hits in the game, all singles, to mark just the third time this season to not produce an extra base hit.
• Only the fourth time this season to be held without a double.
• Drew five walks and two hit batters.
• Left eight runners on base.
• Used seven pitchers in the game.
 
PITCHERS OF RECORD
Winning Pitcher – Nick Nolan, UTRGV (1-1)
Losing Pitcher – Parker Primeaux, McN (2-1)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
T1 – Conner Westenburg led-off the game with a single through the left side. Matt Stancliff followed with a walk and after a Mack Brousseau flyout to right field, Westenburg advanced to third. Stancliff then stole second and Marcus Heusohn drove in Westenburg with a grounder to first base. McNeese 1-0.
 
B2 – UTRGV's Thomas Williams tied things with a one out, solo home run. Game tied 1-1.
 
B3 – The Vaqueros took the lead on Armani Raygoza's one out, solo home run. UTRGV 2-1.
 
T4 – Heusohn led off with a walk. Larry Edwards Jr. single and advanced Heusohn to second. A sac bunt by Davis Meche moved the runners but a throwing error by the UTRGV catcher scored both runs to give McNeese a 3-2 lead.
 
B4 – Steven Lancia led off by reaching on a fielding error by Westenburg at CF. He later scored on a Hank Warren single to tie the game 3-3.
 
T5 – Stancliff started things off with a walk. Brousseau reached on a fielder's choice while Stancliff reached second on a fielding error by the shortstop. The bases were loaded after Heusohn's single with no outs. Edwards Jr. drove in Stancliff on a fielder's choice to put McNeese up 4-3. Meche's safety squeeze bunt single scored Brousseau to make it a 5-3 lead.
 
B5 – UTRGV loaded the bases with three straight singles to start off the inning, then after a McNeese pitching change, scored a run on a walk then another single scored two runs as the Vaqueros took a 6-5 lead. Another run scored on a wild pitch then following another McNeese pitching change, two more runs scored on a one out single then a two-out error. UTRGV, 9-5.
 
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
T4 – McNeese had already scored two runs with no outs and had a runner on second but a couple of ground outs and a strikeout left the runner stranded in scoring position.
 
T5 – The Cowboys scored two runs to go up 5-3 and had a runner in scoring position with one out but were unable to plate him.
 
T7 – Edwards Jr. drew a two out hit-by-pitch and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Bryce Fontenot walked to put runners on first and second. A ground out followed to leave the runners stranded.