LAKE CHARLES, La. — Columbia Baseball (4-7 0-0 IVY) fell, 7-2, to McNeese (10-7 0-0 SLC) in the first midweek game of the season, in a Tuesday evening game under the lights at Joe Miller Ballpark.
 
The Lions got a solid 3-4 1 RBI 1 SB night from Tyler MacGregor and a home run from Joshua Solomon, to go along with four solid innings out of the pen from Griffin Palfrey and Camron Hubble.  But an early three runs in the second inning from McNeese, coupled with good pitching from the Cowboys' staff created a mound the Lions could not get over eventually leading to the loss.

"I thought Derek Yoo did a solid job in his first start," said head coach Brett Boretti.  "He bounced back from a rough second inning to hang up a couple zeroes.  Palfrey and Hubble threw well out of the bullpen tonight."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: McNeese got to Columbia's starter, Derek Yoo (0-1), early for three runs in the third.  But the Lions starter, making his first career start, stayed with it and battled around having a busy base path keeping McNeese from really blowing things open early on.  But in the fifth inning Yoo finally hit the end, after a leadoff walk and RBI double, he was replaced by Palfrey.
 
Palfrey settled in rather quickly, bouncing back from giving up an RBI single to strike out the final two batters of the inning to keep the score at 4-0.  Finishing with five strikeouts, Palfrey would pitch just one more inning, giving up one run on a solo shot in the bottom of the sixth, before giving way to Hubble.
 
In the top of the sixth, with the McNeese starter Chase Stone being replaced after five scoreless innings, the Lions did get on the board thanks to Jacob Phelps leading off the inning against the new McNeese pitcher, Christian Vega.  Following a passed ball that advanced Phelps to third, MacGregor smacked an RBI single to right center to score Phelps and get Columbia on the board.
 
After giving the run back in the bottom of the sixth, Columbia again got a run across the plate in the seventh.  Leading off the inning was Solomon, and on the first pitch he saw, he deposited his third home run of the season into left to put the score at 6-2 with McNeese still in front.
 
Following a scoreless bottom of the seventh, the Lions put forth their best effort to comeback over the final two frames, loading the bases with one out.  But back-to-back strikeouts ended the Columbia threat, with the score still at 6-2.
 
In the bottom of the eighth, Hubble gave up his lone run on a few base knocks by the Cowboys.  And after Columbia was unable to get a rally going in the top of the ninth, McNeese finished the 7-2 win.
 
GAME NOTES: MacGregor now has a three-game hitting streak and has gone 6-13 with five RBIs in his last three games … For the third straight game the Lions had at least one stolen base … Columbia has stolen nine bases over the last three games.
 
UP NEXT: The Lions stay busy during the week with a quick turnaround, taking on Incarnate Word, tomorrow, Wednesday, Mar. 16 with that game set to get going at 7:30 p.m. EST.  Columbia then heads to Houston, Texas to face the Houston Cougars for a three-game weekend series starting on Friday, Mar. 18 at 7:30 p.m. EST.
 
FOLLOWING THE LIONS: Stay up to date on all things Columbia Baseball by following the Lions on Twitter (@CULionsBaseball), Instagram (@culionsbaseball) and on Facebook (@ColumbiaAthletics).