LAKE CHARLES, La. — Senior Ryan Snell belted his league-leading 16th home run of the season, but McNeese rallied for a 4-3 victory Saturday to take the second game of the series. The loss drops Lamar (26-20/9-11 Southland) two games back of McNeese in the conference standings.
The Cardinals scored their three runs on five hits with two errors. McNeese scored four runs on nine hits. LU’s five hits came from five different players led by a two-hit night from Kevin Bermudez (2-for-3, run). Snell finished the night going 1-for-3 with a home run, walk and three RBIs.
Sophomore Hunter Hesseltine got the start and went 4.2 innings allowing two runs on six hits with three walks and two strike outs. He was one of three Cardinals used Saturday as Kole Tauzin (3-3) took the loss pitching an inning allowing two runs on two hits with two walks and a strikeout. Andres Perez closed the game pitching the final 2.1 innings allowing a single hit with one strike.
Bryson Hudgens took the mound for McNeese pitching three scoreless innings. He was replaced in the fourth by Burrell Jones who earned the win after allowing three runs on four hits with four walks and one strikeout.
Saturday’s game remained scoreless until the fourth inning when the Cardinals broke through first. Big Red got its first two batters aboard (Ben MacNaughton single followed by a Kevin Bermudez walk) and two batters later Snell dug in and mashed the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for his league-leading 15th home run of the season.
McNeese answered in the bottom half of the inning. After loading the bases, McNeese’s Payton Harden singled through the right side scoring two. After the hit, Hesseltine restored order getting three of the next four batters to close out the inning.
The lead remained until the bottom half of the sixth when McNeese tacked on two more runs on two hits to take its first lead of the game, 4-3.
Lamar was poised to reclaim the advantage in the top half of the eighth inning after loading the bases with just one out, but McNeese managed to strikeout consecutive batters to close the inning and leave all three runners stranded. That would be LU’s best chance to reclaim the lead as McNeese shut the Cardinals down in order in the top half of the ninth to end the game.
The Cardinals return to the diamond Sunday to close out the series. Game three is slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch, and it will be streamed live on ESPN+.
