LAKE CHARLES, La. – McNeese's offensive firepower showed itself and helped the Cowboys take the three-game Southland Conference series with a 16-6 win (seven innings) over the Lamar University baseball team Saturday afternoon in the regular season finale at Joe Miller Ballpark.
 
The loss drops the Cardinals (33-23, 16-14 Southland) to the eighth seed and forces a rematch with McNeese (36-18, 21-8) at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Southland Conference Tournament in Sugar Land. Lamar finished its season in a two-way tie for seventh with New Orleans, but loses the tiebreaker after UNO took the series at its home earlier this season.
 
McNeese scored in every inning, including a four-run response to the Cardinals' big inning in the third. Big Red put up three in the third frame and took a 4-2 lead, and it started with a one-out single up the middle from Bryndan Arredondo. Silvers moved him to second with a walk before Chaneng Varela laced a double into left center that scored Arredondo. Both Varela and Silvers scored on a double down the left field line from Chad Fleischman.
 
With the Cardinals in need of a shutdown inning, the first four Pokes rallied to grab the lead back, capped by a three-run home run from Joe Provenzano. After a single run, in the fourth, three-straight singles aided a two-run rally and Mitchell Rogers blasted a two-run shot, his second of the game, in the sixth inning that made it 11-6.
 
Lamar was able to jump on McNeese's starter Bryan King for four quick runs, starting with a RBI double in the first inning from Robin Adames that scored Reid Russell. King lasted two innings 2 1/3 innings and gave up four runs on six hits and two walks. It was the Pokes' relief staff that flipped the game.
 
The only runs the Cardinals came up with on the MSU bullpen was in the sixth inning. Grant DeVore led off the inning with walk and Russell singled. Adames ripped a pitch to center field to score DeVore and Russell scored his second run on a Trey Silvers double down the left field line.
 
MSU's first reliever Garrett Anderson (7-0) worked 3 2/3 innings, longest of any pitcher in the game, and allowed two runs on four hits with two walks. He struck out six, including four-straight after he entered the game. Collin Kober pitched the top of the seventh and allowed just one walk, but rolled him up in a double play.
 
McNeese's biggest blow was a five-run seventh inning that ended the game with the 10-run rule. Robbie Podorsky led the inning off with a triple, and Ricky Ramirez singled him home. Matt Gallier reached on a walk and before Provezano recorded his fourth RBI on a single. Pokes' season RBI leader Shane Selman blistered a pitch of the left field wall to end the game.
 
Jimmy Johnson (6-5) started the game for the Cardinals and took the loss on three innings of work. He gave up six runs on seven hits and three walks. Ryan Johnson came out in the fourth inning and tossed two innings. He gave up three runs on five hits. Brett Brown fired the last 1 1/3 innings with seven runs allowed on five hits and two walks.
 
Lamar put up 10 hits in the game, led by a 3-for-4 day from Adames and two-hit games from each Silvers and Fleischman. Both Adames and Fleischman each had two RBI and Russell led the way with two-runs scored.
 
Ricky Ramirez was perfect for McNeese in a 4-for-4 day with four runs scored and two RBI. Provenzano was 2-for-5 with a long ball and four RBIs. Mitchell Rogers blasted two home runs and finished with three runs and three RBI.
 
Each pitch of the Southland Conference Tournament is going be televised on ESPN3. It starts at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning with Sam Houston State and Stephen F. Austin.