LAKE CHARLES – McNeese baseball (22-5, 10-4 SLC) extended its winning streak to seven games, defeating New Orleans (15-14, 7-10 SLC) 10-8 Saturday afternoon at Joe Miller Ballpark. The series victory is the sixth of the season for the Pokes through seven series.
 
Conner Westenburg hit a leadoff home run out to left field in the bottom of the first on the first pitch of the game by the Privateers for the 1-0 lead. Westenburg finished the day with a perfect 2-for-2 at the plate with two RBIs, a walk, three runs scored, and two hit-by pitches.
 
Westenburg picked up where he left off in the third, reaching first on a hit-by-pitch, advancing to third on a single by junior Matt Stancliff, and scored by stealing home. Stancliff plated the second run of the frame as Larry Edwards Jr., a junior, sent him home on an RBI double.
 
New Orleans cut into the lead with a run in the top of the fifth on a turned double play by the Cowboys to make it 3-1. The Privateers scored two additional runs in the fifth to tie up the game, one on a balk and another on an RBI groundout.
 
McNeese regained the lead in the sixth inning on an RBI triple by Westenburg to send home redshirt sophomore Easton Dowell from third. Westenburg came home on a two-run home run on junior Matt Stancliff's first home run of the season, sent over the right-field wall, making it 6-3 in Lake Charles.
 
New Orleans earned its fourth run on a solo shot by Bryce Calloway in the seventh. They earned another on a groundout RBI to make it 6-5.
 
The Cowboys scored again in the bottom of the seventh as senior Marcus Heusohn came home on an RBI single by Dowell. Sophomore Seth Fontenot drove in two additional runs on a double to right field as Dowell and senior Cole Plowman came home. The Pokes led 9-5 after the seventh.
 
The Cowboys made it a 10-5 ballgame as sophomore Mack Brousseau came home on a sacrifice fly by Edwards Jr. 
 
New Orleans attempted a late comeback in the ninth with two home runs that fell short in the 10-8 outing.
 
Graduate student Parker Primeaux recorded his second victory of the season with junior Jake Blackwell earning his second save of the campaign.
 
McNeese and New Orleans close out the series Sunday at 1 p.m. at Joe Miller Ballpark during the final day of Tailgate Weekend.
 
Pitching Appearances
Alexis Gravel: 5.0 IP, 10 K's, 5 H, 5 BB, 1 ER
Marcus Mott: 0.0 IP, 0 K's, 0 H, 2 BB, 2 ER
Blayne Fritcher: 0.0 IP, 0 K's, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 ER
Parker Primeaux: 1.0 IP, 1 K, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, Win
Diego Corrales: 0.0 IP, 0 K's, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 ER
Braedyn Cunningham: 1.0 IP, 1 K, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER
Caleb Strmiska: 1.0 IP, 0 K's, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 ER
Brady Corcoran: 0.0 IP, 0 K's, 2 H, 0 BB, 1 ER
Jake Blackwell: 1.0 IP, 3 K's, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, Save
 
McNeese Notes
• Gravel struck out his second-most batters in a game this season at 10.
• Five pitchers from Friday's game made an appearance in the outing.
• Mack Brousseau has reached base in 18 straight games.
• Conner Westenburg has reached base in 17 consecutive games.
• Westenburg went a perfect 2-for-2 on the day.
• McNeese has struck out 10+ batters in 14 games.
• McNeese has recorded 10 + hits in 17 games.
• The Cowboys have claimed six of seven series on the season.
• McNeese has scored in 26 of 27 games this season.
• The Cowboys have score two or more runs in 25 games.
• Multiple Hit Games: Matt Stancliff, Conner Westenburg, Easton Dowell