This is not the ending they expected.

Just a month after the Cowboys were fighting for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and a league title, their season is over.

McNeese State’s hopes of a postseason revival ended Friday afternoon at Alumni Field in Hammond.

Top-seeded Southeastern knocked the Cowboys out of the Hammond Bracket with a 7-4 victory in the first elimination game. Southeastern (38-14), the Southland Conference co-champs, will move on to play the loser of Friday night’s game between New Orleans and Northwestern State.

Fifth-seeded McNeese (32-17) will start thinking about next year after going 0-2 in Hammond.

“Not the type of ending we expected,” said McNeese head coach Justin Hill.

Just 19 days ago, the Cowboys were alone in first place. They finished the season winning just two of their last 11 games as injuries to the pitching staff piled up.

The Lions scored four runs after two were out in the top of the ninth, as the McNeese bullpen faltered for the second straight day. It really hurts how this fell apart.

With the score tied, Jake Blackwell struck out the first two Lions in the ninth and jumped ahead of pinch-hitter Jade Hall before hitting him. That started a string of trouble for McNeese.

Parker Coley followed with an infield single hit behind third, and Hall raced to third.

Coley raced home with the run to break a 3-3 tie when McNeese first baseman Marc Heushon lost track of him.

The Lions added on three more runs, which proved huge when Cowboy Larry Edwards homered to lead off the bottom of the ninth. McNeese put the next two runners on base, but could do no more damage off SELA closer Brady St. Pierre.

Pierre, the league’s Relief Pitcher of the Year, worked the final 3⅔ innings, allowing just the one run for the win to improve to 2-1. Blackwell gave up six runs, four earned, in 2⅔ to take the loss, dropping to 3-3.

The Lions started their comeback with three runs in the seventh to tie the game at three. Payton Woods’ two-out, two-run single was the big hit and came after McNeese starter Cooper Golden had worked his way out of trouble in the sixth. The lefty retired TJ Salvaggio on a ground ball to third with the bases loaded to end the inning. 

Golden was able to get out of the trouble despite suffering what appeared to be a cramp in his left leg. Golden worked six innings, scattering eight hits before turning the ball over to the bullpen.

A slight change in the batting order led to a fast start for McNeese. Bryce Jones stepped into the leadoff spot and promptly singled on the first pitch from SELA starter Lakin Polk, who lasted just one inning, allowing six hits. 

The first five hitters reached for the Cowboys, who scored three times to take a 3-0 lead.

Marc Brousseau tripled and Larry Edwards doubled to lead the attack.