HAMMOND, La. (Interstat) — McNeese State faces Nicholls State in a Southland Baseball Championship game Thursday evening at Hammond’s neutral-site venue, with both teams seeking to extend their seasons.

The Cowboys (26-23) and Colonels (21-24) split the regular-season series, though Nicholls took the most recent meeting — a 3-2 victory March 1 — after McNeese won the first two games of that conference weekend, 11-4 and 8-1.

McNeese enters on a three-game winning streak, capped by a 9-0 shutout of Northwestern State on May 9. Righthander Garett Blanchard, a key figure in that win, is expected to start for the Cowboys. Blanchard fired 6 innings of 2-hit, scoreless ball with 7 strikeouts. His season has been uneven — he allowed 2 earned runs in 1 2/3 innings at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on April 18 — but his dominance in the most recent outing gives McNeese confidence.

Center fielder DJ Pinkerton powered the Cowboys’ offense in that win, going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs. Jake Blackwell added a scoreless inning of relief with 2 strikeouts.

Nicholls, conversely, limps into the tournament after a 12-2 loss at Southeastern Louisiana on May 7. Left-hander Dawson Richard took the loss, allowing 4 earned runs over 6 innings on 0 hits — an unusual line that included 3 strikeouts. His recent outings have been a mix: he surrendered 5 earned runs in 2 innings against New Orleans on May 2, but earlier struck out 1 over 5 innings while allowing 4 earned runs in a win at Stephen F. Austin on April 17.

Nico RijoBerger, the Colonels’ designated hitter, provided the lone offensive spark against Southeastern Louisiana, going 3-for-4.

The Colonels have shown offensive firepower, scoring 24 runs in a game at Stephen F. Austin on April 18. But their pitching has been inconsistent, and they face a McNeese team that has won three consecutive decisions on the strength of solid starting pitching and timely hitting.

Thursday’s winner advances in the double-elimination tournament; the loser faces elimination. First pitch is set for the evening.