May 7, 2008

Box Score

By Josh Brown

McNeese SID Intern

Lafayette, LA -

The McNeese State Cowboys committed five errors as they dropped an extra inning game against Louisiana-Lafayette here Wednesday night in a non-conference match-up.

The Cowboys fall to 13-36 on the year while ULL improves to 24-25 on the season.

Cowboy reliever Justin LeBleu was tagged with the loss to fall to 2-3 on the year. Cajuns relief pitcher Brent Solich picked up the win to improve 2-4 on the year.

The Cajuns got on the board first, scoring a run in the bottom of the first on back-to-back doubles to put the score at 1-0 ULL.

The Cowboys answered back in the top of the third inning, plating a pair of unearned runs to take a 2-1 lead. Kanon Broussard reached on an error by the Cajuns' third baseman, and reached third on a Sam Merrill single to put runners on first and third.

Broussard scored on a wild pitch to tie the game while Merrill advanced to second base. A Josh Cholley single advanced Merrill to third before a fielder's choice ground out by Taylor Freeman scored Merrill to put the Cowboys up 2-1.

The lead was short lived however; as the Cajuns answered with a run of their own in the bottom half of the third inning to knot it up at 2-2.

The Cowboys reclaimed the lead in the top of the fifth inning, with Tony Coniglio leading off the inning by getting hit by a pitch. After advancing to second on a ground out by Merrill, consecutive walks to Cholley and Freeman loaded the bases for Shon Landry.

Landry singled over the head of the Cajun shortstop to bring home Coniglio and Cholley to stake the Cowboys to a 4-2 lead.

The Cajuns scored a single run in the bottom half of the fifth to pull within one when Matt Goulas reached on an error, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored an unearned run on a single by Scott Hawkins to make it 4-3 in favor of the Cowboys.

The score would stay the same until the bottom of the ninth inning, as the Cajuns came from behind to score a single run to tie it at 4-4 to take it to extra innings.

The winning run for the Cajuns came in the bottom of the tenth inning after a single and a hit by pitch put runners on first and second. A sacrifice bunt moved runners to second and third with one out before an intentional walk loaded the bases.

The next batter singled to right field to score the winning run and topping off a 5-4 victory for the Cajuns.

Landry led the Cowboys with two RBI on the game while Freeman collected one.

Merrill, Cholley, Landry, Keith Patnode and Broussard each had one hit for the Cowboys.

McNeese is back in action this weekend, taking on Southland Conference foe Texas State at Cowboy Diamond. Games are scheduled for 6:30 PM Friday evening, 3:00 PM Saturday afternoon and 1:00 PM Sunday afternoon.