HAMMOND, La. (Interstat) — Eric Nachtsheim pitched six innings and allowed three earned runs on zero hits with three strikeouts, and Isaiah Keller drove in three runs with a home run as McNeese State defeated Nicholls State 11-3 on Thursday, May 14, 2026, in the Southland Baseball Championship.

The Cowboys improved to 27-23. The Colonels fell to 21-25.

McNeese State built an early lead with a three-run first inning. Easton Dowell was hit by a pitch and later scored on Keller’s three-run homer to left center, his ninth of the season. The Cowboys added two runs in the fourth when Dowell doubled to left center, driving in two, and one more in the fifth on a sacrifice fly.

Nicholls State answered with solo runs. Keegan Giger homered to right field in the second inning, his sixth of the season. Caston Thompson hit a two-run homer to right center in the fifth, his 14th, cutting the McNeese lead to 6-3.

That was as close as the Colonels got. The game’s decisive moment came in the top of the sixth, when the Cowboys erupted for four runs. After Cooper singled and Dowell was hit by a pitch, Stancliff walked to load the bases. Barbero singled to left field, scoring Cooper. Stringfellow then singled up the middle, driving in Dowell and Stancliff. Later in the inning, Pinkerton struck out, but the damage was done, pushing the lead to 10-3.

McNeese added a run in the seventh on a solo homer by Heusohn, his fourth, and another in the eighth on a single by Pinkerton.

For Nicholls, Giger finished 3 for 4 with a home run and an RBI. Thompson went 2 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs. Caleb Dyess pitched one-third of an inning without allowing a hit or run. Cannon Hensarling pitched 1 2/3 innings, allowing one hit and no earned runs.

McNeese’s bullpen held Nicholls scoreless over the final three innings. Parker Morgan pitched a scoreless seventh, Elliott Burrows a scoreless eighth, and Adrian Najar a scoreless ninth, striking out one.

The Cowboys outhit the Colonels 12-10.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of McNeese State 6, Nicholls State 4, and its ELO system gave the Cowboys a 57.70 percent probability to win.