Box Score Feb. 24, 2013
Box Score
BEAUMONT - Junior David Carver was already getting ready for a big day on Sunday as he prepared for his first career start for the Lamar baseball team, but just over an hour before first pitch, he learned that his father had flown in from California to be there for it. The junior pitcher made it a memorable day, tossing a complete game four-hitter and leading the Cardinals to a 6-1 victory over Washington in the final game of the YMBL Cardinal Classic at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
"I was just sitting in the clubhouse and Coach Gilligan called me outside," Carver said of his pre-game surprise. "I thought we were going to walk to his office and go over some hitters, and he said, `Someone wants to see you.' I turned the corner and there was my dad standing right there."
"It was crazy," Carver continued. "I was coming into the game with winning the series on my mind, and then he totally surprised me. I felt like I had to step it up more to show my dad something. Once the second inning got going, I really settled in and started cruising. It was huge for me."
Carver became the third consecutive LU pitcher to toss a complete game, and helped the Cardinals to a 3-1 series win over the visitors from Seattle. He finished with an earned run on four hits with six strikeouts. The Reseda, Calif., native put down 18 of the final 19 batters he faced in order.
Offensively, all but one position starter recorded a hit, led by Darian Johnson's 3-for-5 day at the plate. V.J. Bunner, Jude Vidrine and Brandon Provost each had two-hit outings, and the Cards out-hit the Huskies 13-4.
However, UW was the first team to score as Braden Bishop led off the first with a single, and a Jayce Ray line drive later in the frame brought the run across. Carver regrouped, inducing a double play in the next at-bat to end the threat.
The Red and White response was swift as Bunner led off the bottom of the frame with a double, and back-to-back Vidrine and Johnson singles leveled the game at 1-1.
LU grabbed the lead in the third, manufacturing a score. Vidrine and Johnson got things going with a pair of singles, and then both Brad Picha and Seth Dornak bunted to bring home the score.
The game really opened up in the fifth as a Picha double to right scored Johnson. Dornak followed up with a single to move Johnson to third, and an Aaron Olivas groundout put the Cards up 4-1. Provost followed up a few moments later with a single to add another tally.
One more insurance run came across in the sixth as Bunner belted another double before Andrew Dewey filled in as a pinch runner. Dewey would later score on a throwing error by Husky shortstop Ty Afenir.
From there on out, it was all Carver as he struck out four of the final nine batters and allowed just one hit to improve Lamar to 7-2 on the season, the best start for the program since 2010. Washington dropped to 2-6.
The Cards will return to action next weekend as the Columbia Lions of the Ivy League make the trek down to Beaumont.
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