SFA edges Cowboys in 10 innings

LAKE CHARLES – Stephen F. Austin hit three home runs, the third coming in the top of the 10th to break a 5-5 tie, to guide it to an 8-5 extra-inning win over McNeese in Southland Conference baseball action on Friday in the first game of a four-game series.

The series will continue with a double-header on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. as Will Dion and Jonathan Ellison will get the starts on the mound.

The loss was the first of the season suffered by the Cowboys at home, snapping a nine-game winning streak, and dropped their record to 12-8 overall and 6-3 in league play.

SFA (5-12, 3-6) jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning off a two-out, two-run home run by right-fielder Cameron Crawford.

McNeese cut the lead in half in the bottom of the inning when shortstop Reid Bourque hit the first of his two triples, then scored on a follow-up Ben David.

The Lumberjacks added a solo home run by Skylar Black to lead off the fourth and go up 3-1, but in the bottom of the inning, the Cowboys came alive at the plate with four runs.

Nate Fisbeck started things off with a lead-off single to center field then Julian Gonzales and Kade Morris drew back-to-back one out walks to load the bases. That brought up Bourque who cleared the bases with his second triple, this one to the right-center part of the field, and the Cowboys took a 4-3 lead.

Following the second out, Payton Harden beat out a chopper to first base for an infield hit, scoring Bourque to make it a 5-3 game. Bourque finished the game 2 for 4 at the plate with three RBI and two runs scored.

McNeese starting pitcher Ty Abraham didn’t allow a run in the fifth or sixth innings and ended his stint due to pitch count and allowed three runs on three hits with eight strikeouts.

SFA’s bullpen silenced the McNeese bats after the fourth inning, allowing just two hits and no runs as its offense scored two runs in the eighth to tie the game, then three in the 10th.

Game Notes
• Reid Bourque’s two triples matches the single-game school record, adding him to a list of seven others who have achieved the feat – Kurt Heble, Brandon Orlando, Brig Taylor, Dooley Prince, Brian Bernhardt, Chris Fontenot and Lee Orr.

• Ty Abraham tied a season-high with eight strikeouts, marking the second straight start with as many Ks.

• Nate Fisbeck extended his hitting streak to a team-high 9 games while Bourque extended his to 8 straight games.