Jim Gazzolo, Special to the American Press

What will be lost in a sea of runs, hits and brooms could be the most important part of the weekend for McNeese.

While their hitters were tattooing Incarnate Word pitching, Cowboy starters were in control, leading to a sweep of the 4-game series that puts McNeese right back in the Southland Conference race.

The 10-4 Sunday finale gives the Cowboys an 18-14 mark overall and 12-7 in the league, a half game behind front-runner Southeastern.

“It feels good to sweep somebody,” said McNeese first baseman Jake Dickerson, who homered, singled and drove in five runs.

“We got the four in a row and that is a good feeling,” Dickerson said. “After that loss at LSU (14-1 Tuesday) we came together and said it was time to turn it around.”

Christian Vega had his own turnaround. The right-hander went 7.2 innings, allowing only one run and two hits until tiring in the eighth. This after he threw three solid innings at LSU.

“I got rolling there and it just kept going today,” said Vega. “I hope this is the start of something.”

Vega improved to 1-3 on the season.

“Christian was really good,” said head coach Justin Hill. “He kept the ball off the barrel and got ahead of hitters.”

McNeese’s offense was hot all weekend, outscoring the Cardinals (12-15, 8-12) 43-12 over the four games and outhitting them 50-24. On Sunday all they really needed was the third inning, when the Cowboys scored six times.

A leadoff homer by Reid Bourque, his first of the year, was followed shortly by Dickerson’s towering 3-run shot to right which just cleared the fence and glove of a leaping Landon Etzel. It was Dickerson’s second home run of the season.

“I thought I got it then I saw him go back to the wall and jump,” Dickerson said. “I just didn’t want him to come down with it.”

The biggest at-bat of the inning came with runners on second and third and two out. With the score still just 1-0, Nick Fisbeck fell behind 0-2. That’s where the fun started.

He fouled off five of the next eight pitches to stay alive and run the count full against UIW starter Drew Minter (0-1), who missed on the 12th pitch. The walk loaded the bases for Tre Obregon, who looped a 2-run single to center, setting the stage for Dickerson’s blast.

“That was symbolic of the entire weekend,” said Hill. “Nate fought him all the way and didn’t give in.”

Dickerson added a 2-run single in the sixth to give McNeese a 10-1 lead.

“It makes things easy when you get the big lead,” said Vega. “You just want to stay ahead at that point.”

Another key to the Cowboy future was getting Obregon back from a rib injury. He had two hits Sunday after collecting one Saturday. He had missed two weeks with the injury.

McNeese will travel to Sam Houston next weekend for a 4-game set starting Friday night. They will return home a week from Tuesday against Louisiana-Lafayette.

McNeese starting pitcher Christian Vega throws a pitch during a Southland Conference game at Joe Miller Ballpark Sunday against Incarnate Word. McNeese won 10-4 to sweep the four-game series from the Cardinals.

Rick Hickman