CONWAY, Ark. — Central Arkansas closed out the Southland Conference regular season with a 5-4 victory over McNeese State on Saturday.

The win gave the Bears (23-28, 18-22 SLC) a series split with the Cowboys (28-28, 21-18), who enter this week’s SLC Tournament as the No. 7 seed and defending champion.

The Cowboys will play No. 2 seed New Orleans at 4 p.m. Wednesday in Hammond, where the tournament will be played through Saturday.

The Bears needed help from Lamar to get into their 11th consecutive tournament. But Lamar refused to oblige, and won the battle of the Cardinals, beating Incarnate Word 13-3 in eight innings to claim the eighth and final tournament spot.

The top two hitters in the lineup combined for seven of the Bears’ 10 hits. Coby Potvin was 4-for-4 while leadoff hitter Connor Emmet had three hits and scored four runs. A.J. Mendolia, who hit McNeese hard in the series, drove in a pair of runs and was walked four times.

Logan Gilbertson (2-3) went a career-long eight innings and threw a career-high 138 pitches for the win. Brad Verel pitched an uneventful ninth for his first save.

Five Cowboys — Nate Fisbeck, Tré Obregon, Jake Dickerson, Julian Gonzales and Brett Whelton — had two hits apiece in McNeese’s 12-hit attack. Both of Fisbeck’s hits went for doubles. Whelton drove in two runs but the Cowboys left 11 runners on base. UCA left 12.

McNeese used six pitchers with starter Ty Abraham (3-3) taking the loss after giving up three runs on eight hits in 42/3 innings. McNeese pitchers combined to walk nine batters.

UCA led 5-1 before the Cowboys closed the gap with two runs in the eighth and one in the ninth.