Southeast posted an 8-1 victory over McNeese St.

LAKE CHARLES, La. -- There were glitches being worked out at Cowboy Diamond on Friday.

And not just on the storm-damaged field.

Derek Herbig, Josh Parham and Mike Taylor combined for a four-hitter, and Southeast Missouri State had 10 hits for an 8-1 win over McNeese State in the Cowboys' home opener.

Freshman Daniel Schuh had three hits for the Redhawks (1-1), who overcame a 1-0 deficit with a four-run fifth inning against McNeese starter Derek Blacksher (1-1).

McNeese (2-4), which dropped its fourth straight after a 2-0 start, had four errors leading to two unearned Southeast runs and the Cowboys went without a hit between the third and ninth innings.

It was the first game at Cowboy Diamond since Hurricane Rita did extensive damage to the facility in September. Completion of repairs to the center field fence, the visiting dugout and the scoreboard were completed Friday before the game.

"It's a shame is that as hard as everybody worked to get this field ready, as hard as the assistant coaches worked and as hard as the players worked, that we would come out unemotional and not ready to play," McNeese coach Chad Clement said. "That is unacceptable."

The Redhawks had one hit through four innings off Blacksher, but broke out in the fifth. Phillip Riley and Schuh led off with back-to-back singles, then Quentin Rouse loaded the bases with a one-out infield single.

Jordan Payne followed with a two-run double just over the head of center fielder Charlie Kingrey, followed by a solid single by Omar Padilla, plating two more runs and chasing Blacksher. Payne had two hits in the game.

Errors led to unearned runs in the sixth and seventh inning and freshman Aaron Rave added a two-run single off reliever Ryan Frantz in the eighth inning.

The final five innings were in contrast to the first four innings and Southeast's first game, Wednesday's 4-3 loss at Arkansas State in which the Redhawks managed just four hits.

"We feel like we have good offensive players," Southeast coach Mark Hogan said. "We started putting hits together tonight."

As the Redhawks pulled away, any hopes of a McNeese answer was squashed by Parham. The junior left-hander from Jackson High School allowed just two base runners in 3 2/3 innings and didn't give up a hit until Jeramie Broussard's one-out double in the ninth.

Taylor, a redshirt freshman from Shawnee (Ill.) High School, relieved to get the final out.

He followed five solid innings by Herbig (1-0), a senior left-hander who allowed three hits in five innings, working out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom of the fifth.

"It was a pretty good night," Herbig said. "I had to battle early, but things got going. I started feeling my curve ball and I used it for some big pitches."

He struck out four and overcame four walks.

"He did a good job," Clement said. "He mixed things up and got us to chase some dirt balls."

Blacksher, getting his second start after Tommy John surgery last season, was sharp for the first four innings, giving up one hit and striking out four before getting roughed up in the fifth.

Today's probable pitchers are McNeese right-hander Sam English (0-1) against Redhawks lefty Asif Shah, who will be making his mound debut for Southeast. The junior college transfer started in right field Friday.