LAKE CHARLES, Louisiana – After HBU scored six runs in the second, McNeese answered with seven in the bottom of the third en route to claiming an 11-8 victory in a non-conference baseball matchup between the two Southland Conference foes Tuesday night at Joe Miller Ballpark.
Junior rightfielder
Jake Scott went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, while senior leftfielder
Spencer Halloran went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run for the Huskies (16-21). Senior designated hitter
Matt Heck went 2-for-5 with a double and sophomore third baseman
Elijah Simon triple, drove in a run and scored.
Joe Provenzano went 3-for-5 with a home run and scored three times and Carson Maxwell went 3-for-5 with a home run and scored twice for the Cowboys (17-20). Jake Cochran went 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs and Mitchell Rogers went 2-for-4 and drove in a run.
Hunter McClellan (1-2) took the loss for HBU, allowing eight runs on eight hits with three walks in 2.2 innings.
Peyton McLemore (1-1) earned the win, hold the Huskies scoreless and allowing no hits with seven strikeouts and two walks in three innings of relief, while Aidan Anderson picked up his fifth save.
After McNeese took a 1-0 lead with a run in the first, Heck led off the second with a double off the top of the wall, but senior catcher
Jake Pulcheon lined into a double play. Junior centerfielder
Jonathan Ducoff laced a single to center and junior first baseman
Grant Buck singled. Ducoff scored on a wild pitch to tie the game, then Simon ripped an RBI triple to center to give HBU the lead. Senior second baseman
Jack Fitzgerald walked, then Scott unloaded a three-run shot to left to extend the lead to 5-1. Senior shortstop
Tyler Depreta-Johnson doubled and scored on Halloran's RBI single.
The Cowboys scored seven in the third to reclaim an 8-6 advantage, getting RBI singles from Cochran, Rogers and Reid Borque and a two-run single by Brett Whelton.
McNeese added solo home runs by Maxwell in the fifth, then Provenzano in the sixth to go up 10-6.
After being shut out for five innings, Scott got the Huskies on the board again with an RBI single in the eighth, but Cochran got the run back for the Cowboys with an RBI double in the bottom half of the inning.
Halloran singled to lead off the ninth and scored when Heck reached on a passed ball after striking out. Junior
Anthony Jones drew a pinch walk, but HBU stranded the runners to end the game.
The Huskies return to action when they host Incarnate Word in a three-game Southland Conference series Friday through Sunday at Husky Field. The YouTube video broadcasts with
Russ Reneau begin with the pregame show 10 minutes before each first pitch and are available on HBUHuskies.com.
