HAMMOND — No. 5 McNeese could not match No. 1 Lamar's fireworks in the teams' first matchup Friday, but the Cowboys returned Saturday with a reloaded arsenal and steady work on the mound to close out the regular season champions 14-4 in seven innings.
The win puts McNeese in its third Southland Conference Championship game in the last four seasons. The Pokes last won the title in 2021.
Ty Abraham anchored the Cowboys defense with a stellar pitching perfromance, going 4.2 innings with no runs, one hit and four strikeouts out of the bullpen.
Conner Westenburg and Cooper Hext both excelled at the plate, each attaining three hits in the game. Westeburg ended three-of-four with three RBI, three runs and a walk while Hext went three-of-five with three runs. But Elliot Hebert's bat proved the most lethal for McNeese, belting two home runs and driving in five RBI.
Despite the loss, a bright spot shined through for the Cardinals. River Orsak raked in his seventh home run of the tournament, setting a new record for the event. He finished one-of-three. Zak Skinner went perfect at the plate, ending three-of-three with two RBI and a run.
McNeese made a full cycle through its lineup in the first inning and mounted a substantial lead. Hext and Simon Larranaga both reached base before Westenburg sent an RBI single to right center to score both runners. Hebert followed with a towering home run to left center, abruptly moving the lead to a 4-0 mark.
The Cowboys continued from that point. Peyton LeJeune smashed his fourth home run of the tournament to right before Larranaga trickled in one more run with an RBI single and McNeese had surged to a 7-0 lead.
Lamar changed that blank in the bottom of the inning after Skinner cracked an RBI double that delivered one run. But the Cowboys limited their opponent to that singular score to remain in control.
A Chase Keeton double sent Westenburg dashing from first base to home to return the margin to seven and make the score 8-1.
Orsak stepped to the plate to make history in the bottom frame, crushing a home run beyond the center field wall. Skinner followed his teammate with his own solo shot to right, pulling the Cardinals within an 8-4 margin.
But the Cowboys pressured the one seed on the bases in the top of the fourth, breaking through on two more runs from a fielder's choice and wild pitch to lead 10-4.
Abraham shoved through the next two innings, tightening McNeese's grasp on the contest before its four spot in the seventh. Westenburg brought in the first run of the inning with his third single before Hebert cranked his second home run of the game over the center field wall, crossing the final three runs.
The McNeese reliever continued his dominance into the bottom frame, putting the run rule into effect and ending the game.
The Cowboys will meet McNeese in Saturday's championship at 6 p.m. The two met a week ago in their regular season finales with the Colonels taking two of those three games.