RUSTON, La. (Interstat) — The McNeese State Cowboys, powered by a relentless offensive performance and a key two-run homer from Danny Barbero, defeated the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 8-3 on Wednesday night at J. C. Love Field at Pat Patterson Park, defying pregame projections.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a 7-2 victory for Louisiana Tech, with its ELO system giving the Bulldogs a 63.3 percent probability to win. Instead, McNeese State evened its season record at 2-2 while handing Louisiana Tech its first loss, dropping the Bulldogs to 4-1.

The most important sequence of the game came in the top of the fifth inning, breaking open what had been a tight contest. After Louisiana Tech starter Fontenot was relieved by Wittig and then Cooley, the Cowboys struck for a decisive blow. Connor Schneider led off with a double down the left field line. Following two outs, Barbero stepped in and launched a two-run homer to deep right field off Cooley, scoring Schneider and extending a narrow 2-0 lead to 4-0. The blast provided crucial breathing room and momentum that the Bulldogs could not overcome.

McNeese State’s offense amassed 14 hits, with designated hitter Hayden Stringfellow leading the charge by going 4 for 5 with an RBI. Barbero finished 2 for 4 with the home run and three RBIs. Bryce Fontenot also had a strong day, going 2 for 2 with two doubles, an RBI, and two hit-by-pitches before being replaced by a pinch-runner.

Louisiana Tech’s offense was held to seven hits and struggled to capitalize with runners on base, stranding multiple runners. The Bulldogs’ runs came solely on a pair of home runs by Lunsford—a two-run shot in the first inning that briefly cut an early deficit to 2-0 and a solo homer in the seventh, his fourth of the season.

The Cowboys’ pitching staff navigated through Bulldogs threats effectively. After starter Morgan gave up the first-inning homer, relievers Bahl, Blackwell, Corcoran and Nachtsheim combined to allow just one run on four hits over the final 6 2/3 innings. Louisiana Tech used seven pitchers in the game, with Cooley taking the brunt of the fifth-inning damage.

McNeese State put the game out of reach with a four-run ninth inning, sending 11 batters to the plate. The rally included RBI singles from Stringfellow and Marcus Heusohn, a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded by Fontenot, and an RBI single from Easton Dowell.

The Cowboys entered the game after dropping two of three to Sam Houston last weekend. Louisiana Tech was coming off a four-game sweep of Houston Christian. McNeese State will begin a three-game home series against Kansas on Friday. Louisiana Tech travels to Memphis, Tennessee, for a weekend tournament where it will face Ohio State and Memphis.