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Cowboys top Central Arkansas 11-9 in second game of Southland series
May 3, 2008
By Josh Brown McNeese SID Intern
Conway, AR - The McNeese State Cowboys pulled out an 11-9 victory in a back and forth game against Central Arkansas to even the Southland Conference series between the two teams here Saturday afternoon. The Cowboys and Bears will battle it out for the series victory on Sunday afternoon with a 1 PM start. The Cowboys are now 13-34 overall with a 7-16 SLC record. The Bears fall to 21-24 on the season and 9-14 in SLC action. Scott Holstein came on in relief to pick up the win and improve his record to 2-6 on the season. Reliever Reece Cross took the loss for the Bears to fall to 3-3. The Cowboys jumped out to a quick lead in the first inning when Sam Merrill and Shon Landry opened the game with back-to-back singles and reached second and third on a fielding error by the UCA center fielder. Taylor Freeman then doubled down the right field line to score Merrill and Landry to give the Pokes a 2-0 lead. Nick Eubanks then grounded out to advance Freeman to third before a Ryan Brauninger single brought him home for a 3-0 Cowboys lead. The Bears answered back with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning to make it 3-2 after the first. The Cowboys added a run in the top of the third inning after Brauninger doubled and then scored on a Josh Cholley single to make it 4-2 in favor of McNeese. The Bears battered the Cowboys for four runs on two hits in the bottom half of the third to take a 6-4 lead. The Cowboys answered back in the top of the fourth as Freeman singled and was brought home on a Eubanks homerun to knot it up at 6-6 going to the bottom of the fourth. The lead was short lived however, as Central Arkansas added three runs on two hits and one error to stake itself to a 9-6 lead. The lead held up until the top of the seventh inning, as the Cowboys pushed across five runs to take a 11-9 lead that would hold up. The inning started well for the Cowboys as Tony Coniglio and Cholley walked to open the inning. An errant pickoff attempt by the UCA catcher allowed Coniglio to score from second and advance Cholley to third before the next batter, pinch-hitter Channing Kile walked to put runners at first and third. Merrill then produced a bunt single as he popped it over the pitchers' outstretched glove to load the bases with no outs. Landry then drilled a single through the right side of the infield to score Cholley and Kile and tie the game once again at 9-9 with Merrill on third and Landry on second. Taylor Freeman then stepped to the plate and singled up the middle just off the outstretched glove of the UCA shortstop to score the eventual winning runs in Merrill and Landry for a 11-9 lead. Scott Holstein was able to shut down the UCA attack after his first full inning of work produced three runs on three hits as he retired 13 straight before Justin LeBleu came on in the ninth to earn his fourth save of the season. Holstein gave up three runs on three hits early on, but went on to strike out seven Bears batters while walking none. LeBleu struck out two of the three batters he faced as the two relief pitchers for the Cowboys combined to retire 16 straight to end the game. Brauninger and Landry had big days for the Cowboys, each collecting four hits on the day to lead the Cowboys. Freeman had three hits on the afternoon with Merrill and Cholley picking up two each while Eubanks had one on the afternoon. Freeman had four RBIs to lead the Pokes while Landry and Eubanks picked up two apiece. Brauninger and Cholley notched one RBI each. The Cowboys go for the series win on Sunday afternoon with a 1 PM start time. Michael Robbins will be on the mound for the Cowboys, facing off against Bobby Pritchett of UCA.
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