LAKE CHARLES, La. – Catcher Andre Bryan went 2-for-4 with an RBI single and home run in leading McNeese to a late-inning 6-2 victory over Abilene Christian Sunday at Joe Miller Ballpark. The Cowboys won the series 2 games-to-1 in improving to 13-19 overall and 9-6 vs. the Southland Conference, while the Wildcats fell back to .500 at 15-15 and 3-12 vs. the league.
The game was a scoreless pitchers' duel between ACU's
Jonathan Nicholson (2-4) and McNeese's Tyler Wesley until the sixth when the Cowboys put up three runs on three hits vs. Nicholson and reliever
Caleb Dougherty. The first two batters reached base and were bunted into scoring position by Joe Provenzano. Shane Selman then scored on Dustin Duhon's fly ball to right field, and Jacob Stracner came home on Bryan's RBI single.
A wild pitch by Dougherty allowed Bryan to score following a double by Jacke Cochran.
ACU delivered the bulk of its offense in the seventh with both its runs coming on Matt Muñoz' two-out RBI single to the right-center gap, scoring both
Robert Salazar and
Seth Watts. Zach Rider was then brought in from the McNeese bullpen to face
Zach Smith and caught the Wildcats' second baseman looking at strike three to end the threat.
Rider went on to retire six of the last seven batters he faced between the eighth and ninth innings to earn his second save of the spring.
The Cowboys further padded their lead with three additional runs. A sacrifice fly to center field allowed Carson Maxwell to score its first of two runs in the seventh inning, and then McNeese executed a double steal of second base and home with shortstop Reid Bourque scoring on the play.
Bryan capped McNeese's offensive output with his solo home run to left field to begin the ninth inning. It was his second round-tripper of the year.
The Wildcats return to action Tuesday for a 6 p.m. home game vs. Dallas Christian.
