Whitney Tate kept national power Washington in check and Jil Poullard provided the winning blast as McNeese State beat the No. 12 Huskies 3-2 for its fourth consecutive win.

It was McNeese’s second victory over a ranked opponent in as many days after beating No. 22 North Texas 4-2. Poullard hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning to break a tie in that game.

McNeese (9-2) didn’t arrive home from a three-game weekend tournament in Celina, Texas, until 11 p.m. Sunday, but had no issues getting up after the 6-plus hour drive to face Washington (9-2), whose only previous loss was to top-ranked Oklahoma.

“I asked the girls to show up with energy and to look forward to the opportunity,” head coach James Landreneau said. “They showed up today. Tate was outstanding and we played great defense behind her. Jil put a nice, effortless swing on the ball and it left the yard.”

McNeese took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Poullard popped up along the right field line. The ball landed in fair territory and the throw to third was wild, allowing Poullard to score.

The Cowgirls doubled their lead in the third inning with Erin Ardoin and Chloe Gomez reaching on one-out, back-to-back singles. Ardoin scored on Alayis Seneca’s sacrifice bunt.

Washington tied the score on a Madi Huskey two-run homer. Poullard answered with a solo homer to center to put McNeese ahead 3-2.

Tate (4-0) allowed four hits and one walk while striking out two in a complete game. The Cowgirls didn’t commit an error and Seneca made a diving catch in the second inning.

“It’s more about what my team did behind me,” Tate said. “I know I can throw strikes and let them hit it when I have a defense like that behind me. Today the focus was on spin and attacking the zone. We knew they had great hitters and would put the ball in play.”

The Cowgirls will host South Alabama at 3 p.m. today.