After a long week on the road, the Cowgirls were happy to be back home Wednesday night.

Coming off a 1-6 trip into SEC territory, McNeese State celebrated its homecoming by thumping South Alabama 8-2 in its final game before Southland Conference play begins Friday at Lamar.

“It has been a rough stretch of late,” said McNeese head coach James Landreneau. “We have been missing the big hits. It was good to see us get them tonight.”

The Cowgirls (12-10) used a five-run third to take control, as Jada Munoz ended the fun with a two-run homer over the centerfield wall. It was Munoz’s sixth home run of the season. 

“We wanted to keep momentum going when we got the lead,” said Munoz. “I’m just focused on getting on base and hitting the ball hard.”

The big thing was after eight days on the road, McNeese was back in its comfort zone.

“We got back into our routine,” said Landreneau. “The girls feel comfortable at home in front of our crowd.”

After falling behind 1-0 in the first on Olivia Branstetter’s sacrifice fly, Reese Reyne tied the game, scoring on an error after leading off the third with a double. Nyjah Fontento soon followed with her own double, scoring two and setting up Munoz.

The Jaguars (11-10) had a chance to make things interesting in the top of the fourth when some shaky McNeese defense helped them load the bases with one out. Cowgirl sophomore Alexis Dibbley responded by getting the next two hitters as she improved to 2-1 with the victory. 

Dibbley worked four innings but struggled with her control. She allowed just two hits but walked five. 

“Dibbley, it was great to see her stay composed there,” said Landreneau. “The wheels could have come off there.”

McNeese added two more in the bottom of the fourth, with Reyna again in the middle of things. She drove in a run with a triple off the top of the wall in right-center and scored on a wild pitch to give the Cowgirls a 7-1 lead.

Reyna, Munoz and Kassidy Chance had two hits for the Cowgirls, who finished with eight as a team. 

“We showed some resolve,” said Landreneau. “We showed the type of team we can be.”

McNeese will open league play on Friday with a pair of games starting at 1 p.m. in Beaumont, Texas. The team will then finish the three-game series on Saturday. 

The Cowgirls are looking for their fourth-straight Southland Conference regular season title, a first in program history. 

McNeese has won 21 straight against the Lady Cardinals and is 34-2 all-time in the series. 

“What’s happened in the past doesn’t matter,” said Landreneau. “We have to keep working and keep focused on getting better.”