Unexpected Endings

By Jim Gazzolo

Being eliminated by your most bitter rivals is one thing for an athletic program to endure; having it happen twice in a week is doubly tough.

McNeese found that out the hard way over the past seven days. 

And it happened in two different sports.

First, it was the crazy seventh inning that saw the Cowgirls drop the championship game of the Southland Conference softball series at home to Southeastern after it appeared they had actually won.

A video review reversed a call after the Cowgirls had celebrated their victory and were about to make plans for the NCAA Tournament.

“A very tough way to lose,” McNeese softball coach James Landreneau said after his team’s 6-5 defeat that spelled the end of their season.

“We have a lot of kids who were hurting, but we will learn from this and move on,” Landreneau continued. “We will have to learn from this.”

As if that was not enough, Friday, just six days after the softball defeat, the baseball team also lost an early elimination game to Southeastern. This loss came in Hammond, on the Lions’ home field.

A four-run ninth inning ended the Cowboys’ title hopes after grabbing a 3-0 lead in the first inning.

Once again, some strange things happened down the stretch in McNeese’s 7-4 loss, ending the baseball season long before anyone expected that to happen.

Three weeks earlier, the Cowboys led the Southland race heading down the stretch.

Both losses show just how competitive the Southland Conference has become, but how quickly a team’s fortunes can change. They are great examples of the thrill and disappointment that tournament play can bring.

Each of the McNeese teams had great moments during their season. At one point, the Cowboys had a 12-game winning streak, the longest active in the country. They were getting all sorts of national attention then, with many believing they were an NCAA Tournament team even if they didn’t win the league.

The Cowgirls had an 11-game winning streak at one point after starting the year 17-16. Both teams likely overachieved at that point, but it made the postseason that much more promising. 

And likely that much tougher to take when the end came.

It’s even tougher that they lost to a rival.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer who covers sports in Southwest Louisiana. He is also the host of Poke Nation, which airs weekly on CBS-Lake Charles.