May 1, 2010

Box Score

BEAUMONT - Offensive woes continued for Lamar University's baseball team Saturday as the Cardinals dropped a doubleheader to McNeese State by the scores of 6-3 and 5-3.

In suffering their second Southland Conference series sweep of the season (Texas State posted the other), the Cardinals saw the Cowboys outhit them by a combined 33-22 and outscore them by 18-9 in the weekend's three games.

After managing only single runs in the first, third and eighth innings of Saturday's opener, the Cardinals went scoreless through the first seven innings of the nightcap. They averted their second shutout of the season when Aaron Buchanan plated an eighth-inning run with a sacrifice fly.

Later in the inning, Andy Mena doubled to left centerfield, and Quentin Luquette and Wade Mathis followed with back-to-back RBI doubles to pull the Cardinals to within 5-3.

Ted Zentek gave the Cardinals a glimmer of hope in the ninth inning when he singled up the middle with two outs. Joey Latulippe then walked, but Matt Click whisked an 0-2 called third strike past Buchanan to clinch his second save of the day and fourth of the season.

Left-hander Tyler Davis worked the first 7.2 innings of the nightcap, scattering nine hits and striking out four while not allowing a walk, to earn his third victory in seven decisions this season. Right-hander Jaden Dillon, who held the Cardinals to five hits over the first seven innings, was Saturday's Game 1 winner. He kept his record spotless at 6-0.

The series sweep moved the Cowboys, who also won a non-conference game over Lamar early in the season, to 25-18 overall and 14-10 in the SLC. The Cardinals' records fell to 26-20 and 11-13, respectively.

Junior right-hander Eric Harrington, who yielded 11 hits, absorbed the loss in Saturday's first game, falling to 6-2. Freshman left-hander Jonathan Dziedzic lost the nightcap to fall to 2-4.

Luquette, a senior outfielder, went 3-for-4 to pace the Cardinals' 10-hit attack in the second game, while Mathis went 2-for-4 and had two runs batted in in the opener.

With respective 4-for-4 and 3-for-5 performances, Bryn Thompson and Seth Granger were McNeese's offensive leaders in the opening game. Lee Orr sported the Cowboys' hottest bat in the nightcap, going 3-for-5 and driving in two runs.

The Cardinals won't play again until they open an SLC series against Northwestern State with a Saturday doubleheader in Natchitoches, La.