HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The McNeese baseball team dropped its first conference series of the season as Sam Houston defeated the Cowboys 12-2 in seven innings Sunday.

McNeese (17-13, 5-4 SLC) will return home for a mid-week game with Louisiana-Monroe on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. at Cowboy Diamond. Sam Houston improved to 19-12 overall and 7-2 in league action.

Bearkats starter Taylor Hill (4-3) was credited with the win as he worked five innings and allowed two runs on three hits with four walks and two strikeouts. Cowboys starter Michael Clemens (0-1) was charged with the loss as he surrendered four earned runs on eight hits in 32⁄3 innings with one walk and two strikeouts.

McNeese took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first as shortstop Connor Lloyd led off the game with a walk and with some help from left fielder Jackson Gooch, who finished the day with a hit and an RBI, scored while a fielding error allowed third baseman Chayse Marion to plate the second run of the inning.

Sam Houston tied the ballgame at 1-1 in the bottom of the second on an RBI-single through the right side from third baseman Ryan O’Hearn.

The Bearkats took the lead in the third inning as catcher Anthony Azar’s sacrifice fly out to center sent in second baseman Jesse Plumlee to plate the run.

The lead was extended on the next two plays as third baseman Kevin Miller’s single allowed Carter Burgess to advance to third and then score on a fielding error while Hayden Simerly’s double allowed Miller to score and give Sam Houston a 4-2 lead.

Three more runs were tacked on in the fourth when right fielder Romeo Cortina, who reached base on a single and was advanced on a single and a walk, crossed home plate on a wild pitch.msu-logo-11-27-13