The Cowboys continue to enjoy their home cooking, even when it is served cold.

McNeese State extended its home win streak to 10 games Saturday with an 8-1 victory over Yale on a windy and chilly afternoon at Joe Miller Ballpark. 

The win was McNeese’s sixth straight overall as the Pokes improved to 14-5 on the season and 11-2 at home.

“We love playing here in this atmosphere,” said second baseman Brad Burckel. “It is great to be a home.”

Burckel led a 14-hit McNeese attack by going 4-for-4 with a walk. Cooper Hext and Tre’ Obregon each added two hits as the Cowboys won for the 11th time in 12 outings. 

“The good part is we our doing the little things to put us in this position to win,” said McNeese head coach Justin Hill. 

Pitching was again a key as starter Derrick Cherry allowed just three hits and one run over his six innings. He did walk four but came up big in key spots to improve to 3-0.

Ty Abraham struck out three over the last three innings to pick up his second save of the season.

The Cowboys put the game away with five runs in the eight with Burckel’s run-scoring triple the final blow. That shot down the line in right scored Hext, who had a key two-out, two-run single just before. 

Dean Bittner’s RBI single started the scoring.

“The Bittner hit changed everything,” said Hill. “That one really opened it up.”

Yale (4-8) got its only run on Jeff Pieratoni’s leadoff homer to start the second. It was the second game in a row where the Bulldogs scored first.

It was Pieratoni’s first home run of the season. 

McNeese answered in the third with Josh Leslie’s two-out, two-run single to right. Taylor Darden drove home the third run with a single to left in the fourth. Colton Shaw (1-1) took the loss for the Bulldogs.

McNeese will go for the sweep Sunday when they close out the series with Yale at 1 p.m.