Cowboys split DH with HBU on Saturday

HOUSTON – Will Dion recorded his second complete game win of the season in Saturday’s first game of a Southland Conference double-header against HBU, winning 7-1 before the Huskies rallied for a 7-3 win in the night cap.

McNeese (11-7, 5-1 SLC) will go for the series win on Sunday with a 2 p.m. first pitch.

In the first game, Dion (2-2) allowed just one run and four hits against the Huskies (3-15, 1-6) as the offense put 10 hits up on the board.

Payton Harden recorded a 3 for 4 appearance at the plate in the game with an RBI and two runs scored. Reid Bourque added a 2 for 4 showing with two RBIs, a run scored and a double.

McNeese had three extra-base hits in the game with doubles by Bourque and Jake Dickerson along with a Tré Obregon triple.

A first inning Nate Fisbeck sacrifice fly scored Harden to put the Cowboys up 1-0. Harden singled in Bourque in the second inning to make it a 2-0 Cowboy lead. The Huskies scored their only run in the bottom of the third but the Cowboys put things away on a 2-run single by Bourque in the fifth and a bases loaded Obregon triple in the sixth.

In the second game, HBU rallied from a 3-2 McNeese lead with two runs in the sixth and three more in the eighth to get the win.

Harden had another multi-hit game, going 2 for 5 in the contest as four of McNeese’s hits went for extra bases.

Ty Abraham had a solid start by throwing five innings and allowing one earned run, five hits and eight strike outs. Cameron Foster (0-1) entered the game to start the sixth and HBU was able to take advantage of a walk, hit by pitch and a Cowboy error to score two runs and take a 4-3 lead.

HBU added three more runs in the eighth but not before the Cowboys threatened with a two-out rally in the top half of the inning.

Bourque got things going with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch then Cooper Hext reached after getting hit by a pitch. Harden followed with a single but Bourque was thrown out at the plate attempting to tie the game at 4-4.