LAKE CHARLES, La. – Junior first baseman Melissa Herman hit her team-leading fourth home run of the season and also hit an RBI single to lead HBU past McNeese State, 4-2, in the series finale Thursday evening from Cowgirl Diamond.

For the second-straight conference series, the Huskies took the third game of the series after dropping the first two.

Herman and Lauren Schwirtlich each went 3-for-4 for HBU (6-14 overall, 2-4 SLC), as Herman had two RBI. Shay Orsak went 2-for-3, as she and Alyssa Burnett each had an RBI.

Emily Mueller (4-3) went the distance for the win, as she allowed eight hits, two runs, and two walks.

Marisa Taunton led McNeese State (16-9 overall, 4-2 SLC) with two hits. She and Lauren Langner each had an RBI.

Jamie Allred (10-4) started and took the loss in the circle, as she allowed eight hits, four runs, and two walks with 11 strikeouts in 5.0 innings. Rachel Smith pitched the final 2.0 innings and gave up three hits as she struck out three.

For the first time in conference play this season, HBU drew first blood, as Herman hit an RBI single, followed by an RBI bunt single by Burnett in the top of the first. The Cowgirls got one of the runs back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single by Langner.

In the bottom of the second, McNeese State threatened to tie or take the lead, with runners at first and second, but the Huskies got out of the jam with a fly out to left-center. Herman led off the top of the third with a homer to left-center to give HBU a 3-1 lead.

Holly Webb led off the top of the fourth with a single, advanced to second on a Victoria Granchelli sacrifice bunt, then scored on an RBI double by Orsak to give the Huskies a 4-1 lead.

The Cowgirls threatened again in the bottom of the fourth, with runners at second and third and only one out. The Huskies got an infield pop-up for the second out of the inning. Taunton singled to left to score Brittany Calbert and make the score 4-2, but the Huskies got out of the inning without any more damage, as left fielder Cecilia Bauer threw out Dakota Matiko at third for the final out of the inning.

McNeese State had another big opportunity to tie the game in the bottom of the sixth, with runners at second and third with two outs, but the Huskies got a ground out to end the threat. In the bottom of the seventh, the Cowgirls' final opportunity, Alanna DiVitorrio led off the inning with a walk, but the rest of the Cowgirls went down in order to end the game.

HBU returns home next weekend, March 22-23, against Southeastern Louisiana. Saturday's doubleheader begins at 1 pm, while Sunday's single game starts at 2 pm.