ABILENE – The top five hitters in the McNeese lineup delivered just about all of the Cowboys' offense Sunday afternoon as the Cowboys knocked off ACU, 8-5, completing a three-game sweep of the Southland Conference baseball series between the teams at Crutcher Scott Field.
The Wildcats' 12th straight loss drops them to 9-19 overall and 1-14 in the Southland, while the Cowboys improve to 23-9 and 13-2. ACU is back in action with four more games this week: Tuesday at Texas A&M and then Thursday-Saturday in a three-game Southland series at Houston Baptist.
McNeese leadoff hitter Robbie Podorsky scored one run, but it was the 2-3-4-5 hitters (Dustin Duhon, Ricky Ramirez, Matt Gallier and Joe Provenzano, respectively) who did the most damage. They combined to go 7 for 16 at the plate with seven RBI and six runs scored, and Duhon and Provenzano each hit home runs.
Duhon had perhaps the biggest hit of the game with a three-run home run in the sixth inning that pushed the McNeese lead from 4-3 to 7-3, and then Provenzano's solo home run leading off the top of the ninth inning increased the Cowboys' lead to 8-5.
ACU jumped out to a 3-1 lead with three runs in the bottom of the first, but McNeese answered with two in the third to get the game tied. The Cowboys then scored an unearned run in the fifth on one of four Wildcat errors on the day to take a 4-3 lead. Then Duhon made it a four-run game with the three-run home run in the sixth.
The Wildcats would not go quietly as they got a pair of runs in the seventh on RBI singles by
Mark Pearson and
Derek Scott, and had the tying runs on base with one out. But pinch-hitter
Dalon Farkas struck out swinging and
Luis Trevino was caught looking to end the seventh. In the eighth, after back-to-back strikeouts to open the inning,
Koby Claborn and
Myles Paschall singled to bring the game-tying run to the plate. But
Anthony Dominguez struck out looking to end the the threat in the eighth.
The in the ninth, Scott and
Lane Bourland each delivered one-out singles to bring the tying run to the plate, but Trevino flew out to right field before
Aaron Draper struck out looking to end the game.
