Lake Charles – McNeese Cowboys (1-1) dropped game two of their three game season-opening baseball series against Sam Houston (1-1), 11-2, on Saturday at Joe Miller Ballpark. 
 
The Bearkats got a superb performance from starting pitcher Tyler Ryden who held the Cowboys hitless through four innings while the Sam Houston offense built a 5-0 lead.
 
McNeese got its first hit in the bottom of the fifth when Hayden Stringfellow led off with a single and later scored on an Easton Dowell two-out double to make it 5-1.
 
But the Cowboys managed only three more hits the rest of the game as the Bearkats added two runs in the sixth off a two-run homerun by designated hitter Ryan Franden to make it a 7-1 game.
 
Sam Houston put the game away with four runs in the eighth to go up 11-1. McNeese added a run in the bottom of the inning on a RBI single by Bryce Fontenot.
 
Ryden finished with five innings pitched, giving up one run and two hits, walked one and struck out two in picking up the win.
 
McNeese starter Connor Achee took the loss after he allowed four runs on six hits in three innings.
 
The series will conclude with Sunday's rubber match beginning at 1 p.m.
 
Pitchers of Record:
Winning Pitcher: Tyler Ryden (1-0)
Losing Pitching: Cooper Achee (0-1)

How It Happened:
T1 – Franden singled up the middle to score Alvord from second, Sam Houston 1 – 0
T3 – Corcoran singled to right field and advanced to third on a scoring error to bring in Fink, Sam Houston 2 – 0
T3 – Curtis singled to center field to bring Corcoran, Sam Houston 3 – 0
T3 – Martinez singled to bring in Curtis from second, Sam Houston 4 – 0
T4 – Fink homered to left center, Sam Houston 5 – 0
B5 – Easton Dowell doubled down the left field line to bring in Hayden Stringfellow from first, Sam Houston 5 – 1
T6 – Franden homered to right field and scored Marthiljohni, Sam Houston 7 – 1
T8 – Curtis grounded out to short and Alvord scored, Sam Houston 8 – 1
T8 – Brown walked which drove in a run from third, Sam Houston 9 – 1
T8 – Marthiljohni singled through the right side to bring in Martinez and Blackman, Sam Houston 11 – 1
B8 – Bryce Fontenot singled down the right field line to bring in Gage Trahan, Sam Houston 11 – 2
 
Up Next
Feb. 15 vs Sam Houston 1PM
Feb. 18 at LA Tech 6PM
Feb. 20 vs Kansas 6PM
Feb. 21 vs Kansas 1PM
Feb. 22 vs Kansas 11AM
Feb. 24 at LSU 6:30 PM
 
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