Short-handed Cowgirls top Iowa
Published 7:09 pm Thursday, February 26, 2026
Nyjah Fontenot began her day by starting a 3-run rally in the first and ended it with a 3-run homer in the sixth.
In between, the McNeese State centerfielder terrorized the Iowa Hawkeyes and led short-staffed Cowgirls to an 11-4 victory over their Big Ten foe Thursday.
McNeese bounced back from a rough loss Tuesday to LSU, and the suspensions of 13 players for “violating team protocol” to win for the fifth time against a Power 4 opponent this season at Joe Miller Field.
“A great team win,” said McNeese head coach James Landreneau. “I’m proud of the way the team handled the situation.
“What is important is the team and the mission of the university. We will put this behind us moving forward, but the standard will not be lowered.”
Fontenot’s blast was her third of the season and gave the Cowgirls more than enough breathing room, as it ended a four-run inning after Iowa had cut the lead to 7-4.
“I was just trying to put a good swing on a good ball,” said Fontenot. “It was important we went into that last inning with some more wiggle room.”
Fontenot finished the game 4-for-5, driving in four runs and scoring three. Maddie Taylor also homered, hitting her fourth of the season in the first. Taylor’s shot also scored three runs and gave McNeese the lead for good.
The win improved the Cowgirls to 13-5, with five of those victories coming against teams from Power 4 conferences.
McNeese is currently in the middle of a 10-game streak against Power 4 teams. The Cowgirls are 5-4 in such games this season. Iowa fell to 10-5 after the rare mid-week afternoon game.
Taylor’s home run came after Fontenot and Malayna Daigle singled to begin the game against Iowa starter and losing pitcher Braylen Conlon. Taylor hit a 3-2 off the equipment shed in dead center for her fourth homer of the season.
After the Hawkeyes scored single runs in the second and third to cut the lead to one, McNeese scored three more times in the bottom of the third. Fontenot picked up an RBI with a single, as she finished with three hits in the game.
Meiko Dominguez also had an RBI single in the inning, one of her two hits. Fontenot doubled and later scored on a wild pitch for McNeese’s seventh run in the fifth.
Freshman Brookelyn Taylor improved to 5-1 as she bounced back from a tough outing Tuesday against LSU, when she struggled with her control while taking the loss.
Taylor struck out a career-high nine Hawkeyes while going 5⅓ innings, allowing eight hits and walking one. Lindsey Davis got the last five outs to earn her first save.
“I’m really proud of the way Brookelyn bounced back after a tough game,” said Landreneau. “We believe in her; she is a great pitcher with swing and miss stuff.”
