LAKE CHARLES, La. – McNeese State scored four runs in the third inning and two runs in the fourth Thursday evening to rally from a 3-1 deficit to knock off ACU, 10-6, in the first game of a three-game Southland Conference baseball series at Cowboy Diamond.
The Wildcats' fifth straight loss drops them to 9-12 overall and 2-5 in the Southland Conference, while the Cowboys improve to 11-9 and 4-3. The Wildcats and Cowboys will meet Friday at 6 p.m. in the second game of the series before Saturday's 1 p.m. series finale.
ACU scored three runs in the top of the third inning to take a 3-1 lead with two coming home on a Dalton DeVries two-run single to right and another scoring on a
Hunter Hays RBI single.
But the Cowboys got to ACU starting pitcher
Kyle Carroll with four runs on five hits in the bottom of the third and two more runs on three hits in the bottom of the fourth to turn a 3-1 ACU lead into a 7-3 McNeese lead.
Carroll had his shortest outing of the season, lasting just 3 2/3 innings and allowing seven runs on 11 hits en route to taking the loss to fall to 2-4 on the year. Bryce Kingsley went 5 2/3 innings to pick up the win and improve to 4-0 on the year.
DeVries was 3 for 5 with 2 RBI for the Wildcats, while Hays was 1 for 3 with two runs scored and an RBI.
Braxton Wilks drove in a pair of runs for the Wildcats.
