Sometimes the sun shines on you and sometimes it shines in your eyes at the worst possible time.

Sunday it helped keep McNeese State from claiming the final weekend series before Southland Conference play begins.

Cowboy center fielder Payton Harden lost a two-out fly ball in the sun with the bases loaded yesterday at a bad time. The ball skipped off Harden’s glove allowing all three runners to score during the decisive seventh inning.

Eastern Illinois scored four runs in all during the frame and rallied for a 7-6 victory over the Cowboys at Joe Miller Ballpark. That gave the Panthers (13-3) the series as McNeese fell to 11-10.

“Everybody who has ever played the game of baseball has lost a ball in the sun,” said McNeese head coach Justin Hill. “It is a tough way to lose a game but that wasn’t the only reason.”

Leading 6-3 entering the inning, the Pokes saw EIU load the bases with nobody out. After the next two batters were retired, Lincoln Riley lofted a fly into center.

Harden lost the ball right at the end and by the time he received it the game was tied and Riley was on third.

He scored what proved to be the winning run on a single by Lucas Diluga, who finished the series with seven hits. It made reliever Sean-Michael Brady (0-1) the tough-luck loser for the Pokes.

McNeese grabbed a 6-1 lead thanks to a four-run third. Kade Hunter blasted an estimated 425-foot home run over the fence just to the left of center as the highlight. It was Hunter’s first homer as a Cowboy.

The transfer catcher finished the series 6-for-12.

McNeese finished with 15 hits one day after collecting 16. For the second straight game the Cowboys had six players with multiple hits.

The Pokes have collected at least 10 hits in seven of their last eight games.

“The bad thing about losing is it covers up a lot of things you did well,” said Hill.

The bottom of the McNeese order again came up big, this time getting five hits. Over the last two games the last three spots for the Pokes has gone 12-for-23 with Reid Bourque leading the way. He had six hits in the series, two more on Sunday.

Brad Burckel and Braden Duhon each drove in runs, but four Panther relievers slowed down the Cowboy attack. They went 6.1 allowing just one run.

Jessie Wainscott (1-1) got the win with Zane Robbins working the ninth to pick up his fifth save.

Josh Leslie picked up his first two hits as a Cowboy. The transfer from Mesa Community College had been sidelined with an injury until Friday night

NOTE: McNeese will hit the road for just the third time Tuesday when they play at former Southland foe Stephen F. Austin Tuesday night. They return home to start conference play next weekend against Houston Baptist.