BEAUMONT — Consistent scoring and timely hitting led McNeese softball to a 6-2 win at Lamar in seven innings during the first game of a nonconference series Friday night.

McNeese improves to 27-17 on the season while Lamar drops to 9-28.

The Cowgirls scored in the top of the third inning with two outs. Jil Poullard’s bunt put traffic on base for Crislyne Moreno’s two-run homer for a 2-0 lead.

At the top of the batting order in the fifth inning, Alayis Seneca was able to get into scoring position with a double. Kendall Talley followed with an RBI double to score Seneca. Lamar responded with an RBI double of their own in the bottom of the frame. A Cowgirl error allowed the Cardinals to score an additional run, cutting McNeese’s lead to 3-2.

In the top of the sixth, Tiffany Steczo’s RBI double added an insurance run to increase the Cowgirl lead to 4-2.

The Cowgirl scoring continued into the seventh inning. Poullard tripled followed by Moreno’s RBI double. A sac bunt by Chloe Gomez allowed Moreno to score the final run.

The Cardinals were able to get into scoring position in the bottom of the seventh, but reliever pitcher Shaelyn Sanders quickly diffused the threat to earn the save. Starting pitcher Whitney Tate (9-7) picked up the win with four strikeouts and giving up two runs on five hits in four innings.

McNeese will host Lamar in a doubleheader today starting at 1 p.m.