HOUSTON – HCU baseball battled back from an early deficit to even the score in the fourth but was unable to complete a weekend sweep of McNeese, falling 6-4 in the final game of the series Sunday afternoon at Husky Field.
After taking the first two games of the weekend, HCU (9-4, 5-1 SLC) looked to open conference play with a perfect 6-0 record but saw McNeese (11-3, 4-2 SLC) take a one-run lead in the sixth and hold off the Huskies the rest of the way.
McNeese jumped ahead early, plating four runs in the second inning. The Cowboys took advantage of a pair of HCU miscues and finished the inning with four hits off HCU starter
Ben Smith.
The Huskies responded in the fourth, rallying for four runs to tie the game.
Luke Bard put HCU on the board with an RBI single to center, scoring
Parker Edwards.
Jeremy Rader then dropped down a squeeze bunt, reaching base while
Katcher Halligan beat the throw home to score the second run of the inning.
Trevor Roper dropped down a bunt single with two on to load the bases before
Kenneth Dutka came through with a two-run single through the left side to even the score at 4-4.
McNeese regained the lead in the sixth when Davis Meche scored on a two-out wild pitch. In the bottom half of the inning,
Rhett Hendricks led off with a single followed by Bard hitting into a fielder's choice and advancing to second on a throwing error. Rader then singled through the left side, giving HCU runners on the corners with just one out. The threat ended, however, when Roper lined into an inning-ending double play.
In the HCU half of the seventh, the Huskies put two runners on with two outs but both were stranded. The Huskies then stranded a pair of McNeese runners in the top of the eighth to keep it a one-run game. In the bottom of the eighth, HCU got a one-out double off the bat of Bard with pinch runner
Ayden Slott moving up to third on a groundout before the inning ended on another ground out to second base.
The Cowboys added an insurance run in the ninth on a double down the right-field line by Marcus Heusohn to make it 6-4 before the Huskies went down in order in the ninth.
HCU had its chances, collecting 10 hits but leaving eight runners on base for the game. Dutka, Bard, and Walker each tallied two hits, while Dutka led the team with two RBI.
On the mound, Smith (1-1) took the loss, allowing five runs on seven hits across 5.2 innings, striking out two.
Jett Feltman pitched the final 3.1, allowing one run on two hits.
For McNeese, Sergio Lopez (3-0) earned the win in relief, tossing 5.2 shutout innings with three strikeouts and just four hits. The Cowboys finished with 11 hits, led by Meche and Larry Edwards Jr., who each had two.
The Huskies get their chance to bounce back into the win column when they take on Prairie View A&M in a non-conference matchup on Wednesday, Mar. 12, at 6:30 p.m. at Husky Field.
