Box Score Box Score
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Bryn Thompson belted a two-run home run in the top of the ninth inning as McNeese State rallied from a 4-1 deficit and defeated Southeastern Louisiana, 5-4, in the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament at Whataburger Field.
McNeese State (31-26) remained alive in the double-elimination tournament and advanced to face Lamar. Southeastern, which dropped an 8-7 decision to McNeese State on a two-run homer in the ninth inning, fell to 40-19.
Thompson delivered his game-winning hit after Jordan Venable led off the ninth inning with a triple off the right-field fence. Thompson, who finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored, then belted the first pitch from
Chris Franklin (8-7) over the left-field fence to help erase a 4-3 deficit.
Phil Parcell (3-1) pitched 1.1 innings of scoreless relief to earn the victory for McNeese State while Matt Click pitched the final inning to record his ninth save.
Southeastern took a 2-0 lead in the first inning when
Joe Sparacino hit a double into the right-field corner that scored
Justin Boudreaux and
Cody Gougler. The Cowboys cut the lead to 2-1 in the second when Andy Riche' drew a bases-loaded walk before the Lions extended their lead in the sixth.
After Gougler and Sparacino led off the inning with singles off McNeese starter Dustin Lloyd,
Josh Cryer hit a pitch to deep left-center field that would have extended Southeastern's lead to 5-1. Riche' kept the ball in play with a leaping attempt that allowed Gougler to score before Sparacino scored on a ground out by
Brock Hebert that instead gave the Lions a 4-1 advantage.
Matt Fontenot hit a one-out home run off
Josh Janway in the seventh that cut the lead to 4-2 before an RBI single by Lee Orr in the eighth cut the lead to 4-3.
Janway, making his third start of the season, pitched a season-high 7.1 innings for Southeastern scattering seven hits and allowing two earned runs. Sparacino collected two hits and extended his hitting streak to 12 games for the Lions.
McNeese State....... 010 000 112 - 5 11 0 (31-26)
Southeastern La..... 200 002 000 - 4 8 1 (40-19)
Lloyd, Parcell (7), Click (9) and Venable. Janway, Franklin (8) and Cryer. W – Parcell (3-1). Sv. - Click (9). L – Franklin (8-7). E – J. Boudreaux (17). DP - SLU 2. LOB - MCN 8, SLU 9. 2B - Riche' (14), Peterson (14), J. Boudreaux (13), Sparacino (9), Cryer (11). 3B – Venable (1). HR – Thompson (8), Fontenot (6). HBP – Cryer. SH – J. Boudreaux (6), Ernest (4). SB – J. Boudreaux (17). T - 2:56. A – n/a.
