McNeese blanks Northwestern 1-0 to even series

LAKE CHARLES, La. – Seeing two pitchers take the mound, McNeese Baseball shut out Northwestern 1-0 at Joe Miller Ballpark to even the series Saturday afternoon in a sub-two hour game. The Cowboys improve to 10-10 while the Wildcats drop to 10-10 on the season.

Right-handed senior Zach Voss made his fifth start of the 2024 campaign, posting one of his best outings of the season in the six-inning performance. Voss struck out two batters while allowing a season-low three hits with no walks given up.

“It means a lot. It was good to just go out there and attack and trust my teammates behind me to help us get a win,” said Voss.

Daelan Caraway, a graduate student, finished out the team’s first shutout of the season with a three-inning outing, following up Voss on the mound.

“From the beginning we knew it was going to be a dogfight, but it’s a new day and it’s baseball so you come out and play hard every day,” said Caraway.

After seven scoreless innings, the Cowboys picked up a run in the bottom of the eighth inning when senior Elliot Hebert crossed the plate for the winning run.

By claiming the victory, the game marked the first time since the 2020 season the Cowboys defeated a Power Five opponent when they struck down Missouri 10-7.

Facing a rubber match, McNeese and Northwestern return to the diamond Sunday at 12 p.m. to close out the weekend.

Pitching Appearances

Zach Voss
6.0 IP, 2 K’s, 3 H, 0 BB, 0 ER

Daelan Caraway
3.0 IP, 3 K’s, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 ER

McNeese Notes
– Coach Hill earned his 10th win over a Power Five opponent in the victory.
– He coached his first win over a Big Ten school in the outing.
– McNeese earned its first shutout of the season in the 1-0 duel.
– First Power Five win since 2020 versus Missouri.
– Four batters collected a hit for Poke Nation.
– Conner Westenburg extended his hitting streak to four.