McNeese defeated Southeastern 8-2 on March 20 to open a three-game Southland Conference baseball series. The game took place in Lake Charles, with McNeese’s Cooper Golden pitching eight innings and earning the win.
The victory is significant as it improves McNeese’s record to 11-10 overall and 5-5 in conference play, while Southeastern drops to 12-10 and 4-3. The teams will meet again for game two of the series on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Bryce Fontenot and Simon Larranaga led McNeese’s offense, each hitting home runs in the first inning. Fontenot finished with a career-high three hits, including a lead-off homer, and was just a triple short of hitting for the cycle. Larranaga hit a three-run home run that traveled 450 feet, giving McNeese an early five-run lead. Additional runs came from Matt Stancliff’s sacrifice fly and Marcus Heusohn’s single in the second inning.
Golden allowed six hits over eight innings, striking out five and walking two batters. Defensive plays by right fielder Danny Barbero and shortstop Connor Schneider helped limit Southeastern’s scoring opportunities. DJ Pinkerton added an RBI double in the fifth inning for McNeese.
Southeastern managed seven hits from seven different players but could not overcome McNeese’s early lead. Starting pitcher Luke Barbier took the loss after allowing four runs in less than one inning.
