The McNeese Cowboys fell to the Lamar Cardinals 9-3 on Thursday night at Vincent-Beck Stadium in Beaumont, Texas. With the loss, McNeese trails 1-0 in the Southland Championship Series and will need to win the next two to advance to the NCAA Regionals.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Lamar sent Travis Lutz to the mound to start this game. He was able to navigate the first, keeping the game scoreless.
He was opposed by Cooper Golden for the Cowboys. Golden also worked a clean first, and the game stayed 0-0 headed to the second inning.
In the second, McNeese got on the board first. Hayden Stringfellow launched a solo home run to left, making it 1-0 in favor of the Cowboys.
The lead was short-lived, as Lamar would answer in the bottom half. Balin Valentine delivered an RBI single that tied the game at one.
The next frame, Lamar took their first lead of the series. AJ Taylor got things going with a solo homer. Then, Tab Tracy followed that one inning later with a two-run shot. The Cardinals led 4-1 at this point and that spelled the end of the line for Golden.
The bottom of the fifth was where Lamar broke this game open. They grabbed a total of five runs in the frame, taking a 4-1 lead and more than doubling it, making it 9-1.
The Cowboys would chip away in the seventh, scoring on an RBI double by Connor Walker and a sacrifice fly by Korey Cooper. That cut the lead to 9-3, but the rally stopped there.
Lamar held their lead, grabbing the pivotal game one win.
BIG NUMBER: 9
The Lamar offense got going early and often in this game. They scored nine runs, making it an uphill climb for McNeese. The Cowboys’ offense was unable to keep pace, falling in game one.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Travis Lutz
The Lamar starter was ready to roll in this one, settling in from the very beginning. He would go seven strong, allowing just three runs while striking out 10.
UP NEXT: Game two between McNeese and Lamar is scheduled for tomorrow night at 6:00.