BATON ROUGE – Something had to give on Tuesday night when McNeese carried the nation's longest current winning streak into nationally-ranked LSU's Alex Box Stadium, a place where the Tigers possess the second-longest home win streak. The host Tigers, ranked No. 8 and 9 in the national polls, kept their streak alive after beating McNeese, 10-3, to extend their home streak to 18 games while snapping the Cowboys' 12-game overall winning run.
LSU (32-6) led 4-0 after the first two innings, three coming in the first and highlighted by a two-run home run by first baseman Jared Jones. That came after McNeese (27-6) began the game with a scoring threat by putting runners on first and second after back-to-back one-out singles by second baseman Matt Stancliff and designated hitter Mack Brousseau. But the two would be left stranded, two of nine base runners left by the Cowboys on the night, four of those in scoring position.
The Cowboys got on the board with two runs in the fourth behind a two-run home run by Larry Edwards Jr., his second on the year, to close the gap to 4-2. Three straight hits in the frame led to the big inning. First baseman Marcus Heusohn got things going with a one-out double. That was followed by Edwards Jr.'s homer over the right field wall. Davis Meche followed with a single and Easton Dowell walked to keep the rally alive. But a line out to right field and strikeout ended another McNeese scoring opportunity.
The Tigers came back and scored four runs in the bottom of the inning, all with two outs, to grow the lead to 8-2. McNeese got a run back in the top of the fifth when Brousseau drove in Conner Westenburg on a sacrifice fly to center field. The Cowboys ended up loading the bases with one out, but back-to-back strikeouts left the runners stranded, stalling a possible rally inning.
LSU added a run in the bottom of the fifth and another in the eighth to extend the lead. The Tigers out-hit the Cowboys 13-7 on the night, led by Jones' three hits. Heusohn and Stancliff each recorded two hits to lead McNeese at the plate. Starting pitcher Parker Morgan (1-1) took the loss. One of nine Cowboy pitchers to take the mound, Morgan gave up three runs in the first on four hits while recording an out. LSU starter William Schmidt (6-0) picked up the win after 3.1 innings of work.
McNeese will return to Southland Conference play this Thursday-Saturday when it hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
Meanwhile, in another exciting matchup on the same day, Texas, ranked as the No. 1 baseball team in the nation, showcased their dominance by defeating UTRGV 11-4. The Longhorns scored at least two runs in each of the first three innings, marking a strong start to their game.
Texas, now 30-5 for the season, saw Will Gasparino and Rylan Galvan combine for an impressive seven runs batted in, while Kimble Schuessler crossed home plate three times. Kade Bing, pitching for Texas, allowed five hits and just one run over five innings, demonstrating solid control on the mound.
UTRGV, which entered the contest with a 25-10 record, managed to score a run in the sixth inning courtesy of an RBI single from Armani Raygoza. However, the Longhorns maintained their lead throughout the game. In the seventh inning, Ethan Walker made his Texas debut, allowing two hits and two unearned runs while striking out two batters.
Texas will return to conference play in two days, opening a three-game series against Auburn on Thursday at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
In another notable game on April 15, No. 6 Oregon State baseball picked up a significant win over No. 10 UCLA, triumphing 7-1 at Jackie Robinson Stadium in Los Angeles. This victory extended the Beavers' winning streak to seven and improved their season record to 29-6.
Redshirt freshman Carson McEntire made a remarkable impact, going 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a home run, which was the only extra-base hit for Oregon State in the game. Gavin Turley contributed with a 2-for-5 performance, including an RBI, while Aiva Arquette also went 2-for-4 and scored a run. Every OSU starter reached base at least once, showcasing the team's depth.
Oregon State utilized a by-committee approach on the mound, as their usual mid-week starter, Kellan Oakes, was unavailable. Wyatt Queen started the game, tossing 3.0 innings and allowing just one run on two hits. James DeCremer followed with another 3.0 innings of solid pitching, striking out two and giving up only one hit. Laif Palmer closed out the game, holding UCLA hitless over the final 3.0 innings, striking out the last two batters.
The Beavers will look to keep their momentum going as they face Cal State Northridge in a three-game series starting on April 17, with Nelson Keljo expected to take the mound for the opener.
In summary, April 15 was a day filled with thrilling baseball action as LSU, Texas, and Oregon State all secured significant victories. Each team showcased their strength and determination, setting the stage for exciting matchups ahead in their respective conferences.
