Box Score

HOUSTON – McNeese State overcame seven errors and a Houston Baptist seventh-inning rally to slip past the Huskies, 8-7, in the completion of the 2012 season opener Saturday afternoon at Husky Field. The game began on Friday afternoon, but was suspended by darkness and rain heading into the bottom of the sixth inning.
 
Senior shortstop Collin Hetzler went 3-for-4 with a run, and junior second baseman Josh Foust went 2-for-3 with three RBIs for HBU (0-1). Sophomore first baseman Bradley Brown doubled and drove in a run, while sophomore designated hitter Tanner Kalina scored a pair of runs.
 
Second baseman Andrew Guillotte went 2-for-4, with a pair of walks and scored two runs, while leftfielder Matt Williams went 2-for-3 with a run for McNeese State. First baseman Nick Eubanks went 2-for-5 with an RBI, and shortstop Tyler Klouser doubled, drove in a run and scored a run for the Cowboys (1-0).
 
Caleb Miller (1-0) picked up the win for the Cowboys, allowing four runs, but only one earned, on five hits and striking out one in four innings. Blake Ware allowed three unearned runs on three hits and struck out five in four innings to earn the save. Sophomore Ryan Lower (0-1) took the loss, allowing seven runs, six earned on nine hits, while striking out eight and walking five in 4.2 innings. Senior Michael Schulle threw three scoreless innings of relief, allowing two hits, striking out two and walking one.
 
McNeese State jumped on top in the first inning, with centerfielder Skylar Barrentine drawing a bases loaded walk after catcher Renny Weber walked, and rightfielder Seth Granger and designated hitter Michael Sullivan followed with back-to-back singles. HBU tied the game in the bottom of the second, as Kalina led off with an infield single, advanced to second on an error, went to third on balk and scored on Foust's groundout.
 
The Cowboys answered with a pair in the third on RBI singles by Eubanks and third baseman Kevin Santana, but the Huskies tied the game in the bottom of the inning as senior catcher Asai Adame and senior leftfielder David Pfuntner led off with back-to-back singles. After a Hetzler sacrifice bunt, Adame scored on a groundout by senior rightfielder Kolby Arnst, and Pfuntner scored on an error.
 
McNeese State scored two more in the fourth as Guillotte walked and Weber singled to lead off the inning. Guillotte scored on a wild pitch, and Weber scored when Barrentine was caught stealing to end the inning, but stayed in a rundown long enough for the runner to cross the plate. HBU came back with one in the bottom of the inning as Foust reached on an infield single, stole second, went to third on an error and scored on Adame's groundout.
 
The Cowboys broke through with a three-run, two-out rally in the fifth. With two down and no runners on, Williams reach on an infield single and scored when Klouser followed with a double. Klouser went to third on a wild pitch, then Guillotte walked and stole second, and both runners scored when Weber reached on an error.
 
McNeese State took an 8-4 lead going into the bottom of the sixth before the game was suspended due to darkness and impending rain.
 
Hetzler led off the seventh with a single to right, and Kalina reached on an error. Brown ripped an RBI double down the leftfield line, then Foust drilled a single to left-center to get the Huskies back within one.
 
Ware settled down and sat down the last seven Huskies in order to close out the win for the Cowboys.
 
The two teams will wrap up the abbreviated series when they play a single game Sunday beginning at 1:30 p.m. at Husky Field.