May 15, 2010

Box Score

ARLINGTON - Anthony Moore slugged two home runs, and Ryan Meade hit his third homer of the afternoon Saturday as Lamar University defeated UT Arlington 8-1 to complete a doubleheader sweep of the Mavericks.

Moore, a senior centerfielder from Cedar Hill, powered a leadoff homer over the center-field fence in the fifth inning, and he repeated the feat - except to right field this time - as the Cardinals' leadoff batter in the ninth. The homers improved his team-leading total to six for the season.

Meade pulled a two-out, two-run homer down the left-field line in the eighth inning, running his afternoon RBI total to a whopping 10 as he collected eight in the Cardinals 22-5 rout in the opening game.

Junior second baseman Andy Mena had three singles and a double to lead Lamar's 12-hit attack in the second game. Jonathan Dziedzic and Eric Harrington combined to hold UTA to seven hits, and the Mavericks didn't score their run until there were two outs in the ninth inning.

Dziedzic, a freshman left-hander from Humble Atascocita, held the Mavs to four hits, struck out five batters and walked one over the first seven innings, and he evened his record at 4-4. The lone run scored against Harrington in his first relief appearance of the season was unearned - the result of the Cardinals' only error of the afternoon.

Lamar's 18 hits and 22 runs in the first game were both season highs, and Meade's eight runs batted in tied for the second most in school history. The only other Cardinal to drive in more runs in a game was Drew Topham with 10 against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in 2001, and the last to drive in eight was Micah Hoffpauir against Prairie View A&M in 2002.

Meade, a junior designated hitter from Lewis Center, Ohio by way of Temple Junior College, got five of his RBIs in the Cardinals' 12-run eighth inning. Early on in the frame, he drew a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch to force in a run, and he later blasted a grand slam to put an exclamation mark on the Cardinals' 29th victory of the season.

Meade's second homer of the game was his fourth of the season, and senior catcher Joey Latulippe, who went 4-for-4 in the game, hit his third - a two-run shot in the fifth inning. Junior first baseman Wade Mathis also had four hits, including an RBI single to help ignite the Cardinals' three-run first inning.

Starting pitcher Matison Smith was the benefactor of the Cardinals' offensive explosion in the first game. He went the distance, scattering 11 hits, striking out one and walking two over eight innings to improve to a team-best 9-2 for the season.

The Cardinals' 22 runs were their most since the 2006 team enjoyed a 23-0 home rout over Iona College.

The sweep put coach Jim Gilligan's Cardinals at 30-21 on the season and 15-14 in the Southland Conference. UT Arlington fell to 25-26 and 17-12, respectively, and the teams will complete the three-game series with a 1 p.m. game Sunday.