Feb. 9, 2007

McNeese State opened its baseball season here Friday night with an 11 inning 4-3 loss to Cal State - Northridge.

The Matadors scored a run in the bottom of the 11th with the bases loaded and two outs for the victory. McNeese had left two runners on base in the top of the 11th.

In that decisive inning, Cal State had loaded the bases on reliefer Sam English with one out.

Cowboy closer Danny Davis came on and got the next batter on a force out at home. However the next batter hit a slow roller up the middle which McNeese could not handle and the winning run scored.

The Cowboys, who play Oklahoma State on Saturday and then host team UT Pan American on Sunday, had scored one run in the third and two in the fourth.

A throwing error by Cal State-Northridge plated the first Cowboy run and then a passed ball and an infield out plated two runs in the fourth.

Thomas Zabasky doubled in the third inning for the Cowboys and Andy Riche' walked. Zabasky, who had taken third on an out, was thrown out at home on a failed squeeze bunt attempt by David Leatherwood.

Cal State-Northridge would later throw the ball into centerfield on a double steal, allowing Riche' to score.

In the fourth inning, Bryan Cartie and Charlie Kingrey both got on base with a single and after two straight passed balls Cartie scored. Kingrey later scored on an infield out by Taylor Faul.

Derek Blacksher started the game on the mound for the Cowboys, hurling five innings, giving up two runs,one of them earned. He was relieved by John Ropp, who was then relieved by Ryan Frantz and later English.

Cal State tied the game with a run in the seventh when Ropp walked the first batter and he scored on back to back errors by Cowboy first baseman Ryan Bruaninger and Riche'.

McNeese had eight hits in the game and Cal State had 10. The Cowboys also committed five errors and the Matadors had eight miscues.