LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana – McNeese State scored 10 runs in the second inning en route to a 12-6 victory over HBU to even the Southland Conference baseball series at a game apiece Saturday afternoon at Cowboy Diamond.
Senior shortstop
Louie Payetta went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, an RBI and a run scored, while senior second baseman
Greg Espinosa went 2-for-5 with a triple and scored twice for the Huskies (9-6, 1-1 SLC). Senior first baseman
Andrew Alvarez went 2-for-4 with a double and a run, junior rightfielder
Brandon Brintz triple, drove in a run and scored and junior centerfielder
Joe Van Marter singled and drove in a pair.
Lewis Guilbeau was 4-for-5 with an RBI and a run, while Matt Gallier was 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, two RBIs and two runs for the Cowboys (7-6, 1-1). Connor Crane went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run, while Joe Provenzano went 1-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and a pair of runs. Cameron Toole singled and scored three times.
Bryce Kingsley (2-0) picked up the win for McNeese, allowing one run on two hits with six strikeouts in three innings of relief, after starter Bryan King allowed five runs, four earned, on eight hits in three innings.
Junior
Christian Thames (0-2) took the loss for HBU, giving up nine runs, five earned, on seven hits in 1.1 innings. Senior
Brody Toal allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits in 5.2 innings of relief.
Espinosa led off the game with a single for the Huskies, then scored on a double by senior designated hitter
Austin Saenz.
In the bottom of the second, Provenzano gave McNeese the lead with a two-run home run. The Cowboys rallied for eight more runs in the frame, capped by a two-run home run by Gallier.
The Huskies answered with three runs in the third, getting triples by Espinosa and Brintz's league-leading fourth three-bagger of the season. HBU got back to within 11-6 on Van Marter's RBI single in the sixth, but McNeese got the run back in the bottom of the seventh for the final tally.
The series concludes Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch. The Legacy Sports Network broadcast with
Russ Reneau begins at 12:45 with the pregame show, and the game can be viewed via Periscope on the official HBU Athletics Twitter page, @HBUHuskies. Links to all the Huskies' live coverage can also be found on HBUHuskies.com.
