Photo courtesy of McNeese Athletics

By Mason Griffin

The Poke Press

McNeese baseball battled through an intense pitching duel Thursday night and came away with a dramatic 1-0 extra-inning victory over Northwestern State at Joe Miller Ballpark. The Cowboys used a dominant effort on the mound and a clutch late-game hit to secure the Southland Conference win in 11 innings. 

Both teams struggled offensively all night, and the game was scoreless until the 10th inning. McNeese managed just a few hits, but the Cowboys’ pitching staff worked out of jams all night long, preventing Northwestern State from scoring. The Demons had seven hits and a couple of chances, but McNeese continued to make defensive stops when it mattered most. 

Finally, at the bottom of the 11th, the Cowboys broke through for a walk-off RBI double by redshirt junior infielder Easton Dowell to send the home crowd into a frenzy. The win improved McNeese to 26-23 overall and 14-14 in Southland Conference play with the team still battling for a spot in the conference tournament. Northwestern State fell to 25-22 overall and 16-12 in conference play. 

McNeese’s pitching staff delivered one of its strongest performances of the season by pitching 11 shutout innings as junior right-handed pitcher Jaden Bahl got the win. 

The Cowboys have two games left in the series against the Demons today and Saturday in the three-game series as the Southland Conference baseball tournament is around the corner.