HAMMOND – McNeese held a 3-0 lead through six innings over top-seeded Southeastern in Friday's elimination game of the 2025 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament Hammond Bracket, but the Lions scored seven straight runs, three in the seventh and four in the ninth, to pull out a 7-4 win over the Cowboys.
The loss ended McNeese's season at 32-17. Southeastern (38-14) advances to play another elimination game at 1 p.m. on Saturday against the loser of Friday night's winner's bracket contest between No. 4 Northwestern State and No. 8 New Orleans.
McNeese starting pitcher
Cooper Golden had an outstanding outing, throwing six scoreless innings and allowing eight hits, walked two and struck out four batters. He left the game after an exciting top of the sixth inning that saw the Lions load the bases with two outs only to see it end with an infield ground out.
The Cowboys finished with 10 hits in the game as
Larry Edwards Jr. and
Easton Dowell recorded two each.
Hit Leaders:
Larry Edwards Jr. (2-4, 2 RBI, R, HR, 2B)
Easton Dowell (2-4)
Mack Brousseau (1-4, RBI, R, 3B)
Pitchers of Record:
W – Brady St. Pierre (2-1) | 3.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO
L –
Jake Blackwell (3-3) | 2.2 IP, 3 H, 6 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 4 SO
Scoring Summary:
Bot 1 –
Bryce Jones scored on a wild pitch. McN 1-0.
Bot 1 –
Mack Brousseau tripled to RC, RBI.
Marcus Heusohn scored. McN 2-0.
Bot 1 –
Larry Edwards Jr. doubled to LC, RBI. Brousseau scored. McN 3-0.
Top 7 – G. Licciardi reached on a throwing error by p, sac bunt, advanced to third on the error. L. Walters advanced to 2
nd, advanced to 3
rd on the error. C. O'Neal advanced to 3
rd, scored on the error. McN 3-1.
Top 7 – P. Woods singled to RF, 2 RBI. Licciardi and Walters scored, both unearned. 3-3.
Top 9 – P. Coley singled down the 3B line; J. Hall advanced to 3
rd, scored. SLU 4-3.
Top 9 – T. Salvaggio doubled to RC, 2 RBI; D. Watts and Coley scored. SLU 6-3.
Top 9 – L. Walters doubled down the LF line, RBI. O'Neal advanced to third; Salvaggio scored. SLU 7-3.
Bot 9 –
Larry Edwards Jr. homered to LC, RBI. SLU 7-4.
Missed Opportunities:
Bot 1 –
Bryce Jones,
Conner Westenburg and
Marcus Heusohn all hit singles to start the inning. On Heusohn's single, Jones was held up a 3B but Westenburg got caught in between 2B and 3B and was tagged out, leaving at least one run off the board as Jones followed by scoring on a wild pitch and Brousseau hitting a triple.
Bot 2 – After
Seth Fontenot led off with a single and advanced to 2
nd on a
Davis Meche sacrifice bunt, Fontenot would get caught in a rundown to third after a Jones shot to the pitcher.
Bot 4 –
Easton Dowell hit a 1-out single and advanced to 2
nd on a failed pick-off attempt at 1B by the pitcher. The next two batters flied out to leave Dowell stranded in scoring position.
Bot 5 – Jones led off with a walk but was thrown out on a force play at 2
nd while Westenburg reached on a fielder's choice. Westenburg then stole second then after Matt Heusohn hit a deep fly ball to left field, Westenburg tagged up from second, rounded third, and was thrown out at home.
Bot 9 – After Edwards Jr. led off with a solo home run to cut the deficit to 7-4,
Matt Stancliff walked and Dowell singled to put runners on 1
st and 2
nd with no outs and the tying run at the plate. Stancliff tagged up on a Fontenot fly out to right field to put runners and 1
st and 3
rd then Meche hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end the game.