May 19, 2006
Box Score
BEAUMONT - Collin Delome went 1-for-3 to extend his hitting streak to 15 games, but McNeese State pounded out 12 hits en route to a 14-3 win over Lamar University Friday night in Southland Conference baseball action at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
Lamar dropped to 32-21 overall and 18-11 in SLC play. McNeese State improved to 35-17 overall and 22-7 in SLC play. The Cowboys clinched the regular season championship and will be the No. 1 seed at the SLC Tournament which starts Wednesday at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
The Cardinals and Cowboys conclude the three-game series Saturday at 1 p.m. Lamar's 11 seniors will be honored in a pre-game ceremony. Junior Steve Macfarland, who is 6-5 with a 5.02 earned run average, is expected to start for the Cardinals. Sam English, who is 6-3 with a 4.42 ERA, is McNeese's probable starter.
Bryan Cartie doubled down the left field line off Lamar starter Derrick Gordon to lead off the game for the Cowboys. After Tyler Dugas walked, Cartie stole third base and scored on Charlie Kingrey's double to straight away center field.
Lamar tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second inning. Will Henderson led off the inning with a walk, took second on a balk and advanced to third on Dan Hernandez' single to center field. C.J. Ebarb drove in Henderson with a sacrifice fly to center field.
The Cowboys scored twice in the top of the third inning. Dugas doubled to left center field and Kingrey and Joe Hulett both walked to load the bases with one out. James Thibodeaux reached on an error by third baseman Jo Jo Haney, which allowed both Dugas and Kingrey to score and put McNeese up 3-1.
DeLome reached on an infield single to lead off the bottom of the fourth inning for the Cardinals. Will Henderson followed with a towering 2-run home run deep over the left field wall that tied the game at 3-3. That was Henderson's 12th homer of the season.
McNeese responded with four runs in the top of fifth inning. Hulett had a 2-run double to left center field. Thomas Zabasky and Beau Knowles each had RBI singles to make the score 7-3.
The Cowboys broke the game open with more runs in the sixth inning. Dugas, who was 2-for-2 with three runs scored, singled to left field to start the inning and proceeded to steal both second and third base. Zabasky drove in Dugas with a sacrifice fly to center field. Knowles reached on a throwing error by shortstop Colt Crawford, which allowed Thibodeaux and Hulett to score.
McNeese closed out the scoring with four runs in the top of the seventh inning. Cartie tripled to right center field and Shon Landry followed with an RBI single to left field. Kingrey had an RBI double to left field and Hulett drove in a run on a fielding error by Haney. Lamar was retired in order in the home half of the seventh inning and the game ended due to the conference's 10-run rule.
Chris Denton (8-3) pitched a complete-game for the Cowboys, allowing three runs on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts in seven innings pitched. Gordon (3-4) took the loss for Lamar, allowing four runs, three earned, on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts in four innings pitched.
