LAKE CHARLES – McNeese baseball split Friday's doubleheader with Houston Christian, falling 3-1 in the opener before bouncing back with a 4-2 win in the nightcap behind a dominant outing from Eric Nachtsheim, who tossed the program's first complete game since May 23, 2023.

The Cowboys responded in the nightcap behind a masterful performance from Nachtsheim, who's 16 Ks were a career high and the most by a McNeese pitcher since Will Dion struck out 19 in the 2021 season.

With the split, McNeese moves to 8-7 overall and 3-2 in Southland Conference, while Houston Christian sits at 7-8 overall and 3-2 in league play as well. The rubber match is scheduled for Saturday with first pitch set for 2 p.m., streaming on ESPN+.

Houston Christian struck first in the opener when Defazio doubled to right-center field to bring home the game's first run and give the Huskies a 1-0 lead.

HCU added another run in the third inning to extend the advantage to 2-0, but the Cowboys responded in the bottom half of the frame. Hayden Stringfellow delivered an RBI single that scored Seth Fontenot to cut the deficit to 2-1.

The Huskies added an insurance run late when Halligan singled to right field in the ninth inning to score Rader and seal the 3-1 victory.

HCU starter Lopez earned the win to improve to 3-1 on the season, while Castano recorded his first save of the year.

McNeese starter Cooper Golden took the loss, dropping to 1-2 after pitching five innings, allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out five and walking two. Relievers Jaden Bahl and Brady Corcoran combined for the final four innings, allowing one run on six hits while striking out six.

In the nightcap, the Cowboys were led offensively by Hayden Stringfellow, who went a perfect 4-4 at the plate with 3 RBI's and two doubles.

McNeese struck first when Stringfellow doubled to right-center field to drive in two runs and give the Cowboys a 2-0 lead.

In the fifth inning, Marcus Heusohn added to the lead with an RBI double to right field, pushing the advantage to 3-1. Later in the inning, Stringfellow delivered again with his second double of the night to extend the lead to 4-1.

Houston Christian answered with a solo home run in the seventh inning to cut the deficit to 4-2, but Nachtsheim shut the door from there to secure the win and even the series.
 
Pitchers of Record Game 1:
Winning Pitcher: Lopez (3-1)
Save: Castano (1)
Losing Pitching: Cooper Golden (1-2)

Pitchers of Record Game 2:
Winning Pitcher: Eric Nachtsheim (3-0)
Losing Pitching: Caravalho (1-3)
 
Up Next          
Mar. 8 vs Houston Christian *
Mar. 11 at UL-Lafayette
Mar. 13 at Lamar *
Mar. 14 at Lamar * 
Mar. 15 at Lamar * 

*Denotes Conference Game
INDICATES HOME GAME