LAKE CHARLES — Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns baseball erased a six-run deficit late, but early damage and timely power from McNeese proved too much in a 10-7 loss Tuesday night at Joe Miller Ballpark.
Here are three key reasons Louisiana came up short:
1. Early pitching struggles put Cajuns in a hole
Louisiana fell behind quickly as McNeese scored in each of the first, second, fourth and fifth innings to build a 6-1 lead. Starter J.R. Tollett allowed six runs on seven hits in four innings, forcing the Cajuns to play from behind most of the night.
The Cowboys consistently found barrels early, tallying multi-run innings in the second and fifth to seize momentum.
2. One swing changed everything — twice
McNeese’s Hayden Stringfellow delivered the biggest blows of the night, launching two home runs and driving in six runs.
His two-run homer in the fifth extended the lead, but the knockout punch came in the sixth — a grand slam that pushed the Cowboys’ advantage to 10-1 and ultimately put the game out of reach.
3. Offensive inconsistency despite late rally
Louisiana managed just five hits on the night and struck out nine times, struggling to generate consistent offense.
While the Cajuns erupted for six runs in the seventh inning — aided by walks, hit-by-pitches and an error — they couldn’t sustain that momentum, going scoreless over the final two innings to seal the loss.
Despite the late push, the early deficit and McNeese’s power surge were too much to overcome as Louisiana dropped to 18-11 on the season.
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