Bouncing back from seeing their win streak end, the Cowboys started a new one Thursday night at Joe Miller Ballpark.

McNeese rode the hot bat of Easton Dowell, who had three hits in an 8-5 victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi to open a three-game Southland Conference series.

With the win, the Cowboys improved to 28-6 and 15-4, staying close in the race for the league title. It was McNeese’s 13th win in its last 14 games, losing only to No. 8 LSU last Tuesday in Baton Rouge.

The Cowboys improved to 20-2 at home, with nine straight victories in Lake Charles.

The win, coupled with Southeastern’s 5-2 victory over conference-leading Texas-Rio Grande Valley, moves the Cowboys a half game behind UTRVG in second place, tied with the Lions.

Dowel had the biggest hit for McNeese, a 2-run double in the bottom of the fifth that broke a 2-2 tie. It was Dowell’s third hit of the game as he finished 3-for-5, raising his average to .414. 

Two more streaking hitters helped the Cowboys gain some breathing room in the sixth when Conner Westenburg opened the frame with a double himself. Four batters later, Larry Edwards drove in two runs with a bouncing single to center. 

That gave McNeese a 7-2 lead. 

Westenburg ended the night 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored. He also stole two bases. 

Edwards, the team’s leading run producer, drove in three to raise his total to 37. 

Left-hander Cooper Golden worked the first five innings for McNeese, picking up the victory. He allowed two runs on four hits, walking three and striking out three. 

Gage Burdick took the loss, falling to 2-3. The two teams combined to walk 17 as the Islanders outhit McNeese 11-8. 

Paul Coppinger worked three innings in relief, allowing just one run on five hits. 

Pinch-hitter Jackson Smith homered in the ninth, a 2-run blast, with two out in the bottom of the ninth.

The two teams will meet again Friday at 2 p.m. The series will finish Saturday with a 1 p.m. scheduled start.