LAKE CHARLES, LA ? Braeden Riley hit a bases loaded single in the top of the 10th inning to score the winning run as Sam Houston State rallied from five runs down to defeat McNeese State 7-5 Friday night at Cowboy Diamond.
The victory marked the Bearkats' fifth extra-inning win this season. Sam Houston (15-11, SLC 7-6) has not lost an extra inning game this year. Friday's contest was the opener in a three-game weekend Southland Conference series. The two teams will play again at 2 p.m. Saturday.
McNeese jumped out to a 5-0 lead with a pair of runs in both the first and third innings and one run in the fifth. Lee Orr had a two-run homer in the third inning and Lee Orr hit run-scoring singles in the first and fifth.
Mark Wyatt started the Bearkat rally with a three-run home run in the sixth inning. Nick Zaleski's RBI single brought Sam Houston to within one run the seventh.
Tyler Knight tied the contest 5-5 in the top of the ninth with another run-scoring single. The Bearkats had the bases loaded with one out but could not get another tally as the game went into extra innings.
After Riley's game-winning hit in the 10th, Knight added another RBI with a sacrifice fly. Sam Houston totaled 11 hits for the game while the Cowboys had 10.
Jacob Howard started on the mound for Sam Houston, giving up six hits and five runs in four and two-thirds innings. Guillaume Duguay, Will Shelon and Matt Shelton all pitched in relief. Shelton was the game winner, striking out three Cowboys in three innings.
