Cowboys even series
{{tncms-inline content=”<p class="p1" style="text-align: center;"><strong>FINAL | McNeese&nbsp;</strong><strong>5,&nbsp;</strong><strong>SE Louisiana&nbsp;</strong><strong>2</strong></p>” id=”45f3c80f-414b-4ed5-96a9-4153a3fb2490″ style-type=”quote” title=”score” type=”relcontent”}}
Bryan King, McNeese winning pitcher
The McNeese State baseball team left Joe Miller Ballpark with a 5-2 Southland Conference win against Southeastern Louisiana Friday night, thanks to timely hitting and a gem of an outing by lefty starting pitcher Bryan King.
King (2-1, 2.70 ERA) went seven innings in which he gave up two unearned runs on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts. He left after throwing 110 pitches.
After missing time early in the season with an oblique strain, King said to go out and put together a full game like that gave him confidence moving forward.
“It’s really nice,” King said. “Physically I feel great. That was the first injury I’ve had that actually took me out of games. It was hard watching from the sideline, but it was great cheering and being a help in the dugout before getting out there and getting my shot. I’m glad I could help the team win.”
{{tncms-inline alignment=”left” content=”<p class="p2" style="text-align: left;"><strong>Cowboys (10-16, 7-4 SLC) and Lions (20-10, 8-3) return to Joe Miller Ballpark at 3 p.m. today</strong></p>” id=”75f2eded-51fe-4122-aa5e-9ce2fcf69308″ style-type=”fact” title=”UP NEXT” type=”relcontent”}}
The two runs SLU came as the result of a strikeout dropped by catcher Dustin Duhon, whose throw to first got past Mitchell Rogers and ultimately allowed the Lions to take a 2-1 lead in the fifth inning.
“Bryan King was the story of the game,” said McNeese head coach Justin Hill. “He had a tough situation when they scored two runs off a strikeout. That was a very difficult play. Dustin executes that thing nine times out of 10. It’s just one of those things.”
The bottom of the order did a lot of the work for the Cowboys in the series-tying win.
Jacob Stracner finished with a game-high three RBIs from the five-hole with a single in the sixth inning that tied the score at two runs apiece then with a two-run blast over the left-field wall in the eighth inning that gave the Cowboys a three-run cushion before McNeese picked up the final three outs.
“Just like (Thursday) night, he made a bad pitch and I just hit it,” Stracner said. “I’m seeing the ball well right now, and I’m sticking to my approach.
McNeese’s 3B Hunter Racca makes the catch from the outfield as Southeastern’s slides in safely after tagging up from 2nd during a Southland Conference game at Joe Miller Ballpark in Lake Charles, La., Friday, March 30, 2018. (Rick Hickman/Lake Charles American Press)
“My mentality is just to attack. I talked to the guys and tell them to suffocate them with energy and take the life out of them with big hits like that.”
Carson Maxwell came up big in the nine-hole where he pinch hit for starting third baseman Hunter Racca in the seventh inning.
Maxwell wasted no time, hitting the first pitch he saw into the left-field gap for an RBI double that scored Rogers from first base with what proved to be the winning run.
“That was a big swing right there for him,” Hill said. “I know he didn’t have the night he wanted to last night. Obviously it’s always difficult. It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you respond.”
SLU reliever Evan Hileman (0-3, 8.00 ERA) took the loss after picking up one out and giving up Maxwell’s RBI double. Starter Josh Green went six innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits.
The Cowboys (10-16, 7-4 SLC) and Lions (20-10, 8-3) will return to Joe Miller Ballpark at 3 p.m. today for the series’ rubber game.
Hill said Friday night’s win will likely lead to positive play from the Cowboys in today’s finale.
“We’ve been frustrated, there’s no doubt,” Hill said. “As a team it’s been frustrating because we’ve been so close. We’ve been in those one-run games. We’ve had moments, and we’ve been our own worst enemy. That’s the good thing. … You know how you can fix it. It’s just a matter of executing our game plan and doing a better job with what we have.”
FINAL | McNeese 5, SE Louisiana 2
Cowboys (10-16, 7-4 SLC) and Lions (20-10, 8-3) return to Joe Miller Ballpark at 3 p.m. today