Box Score April 17, 2014
BEAUMONT – Both Sam Bumpers and Reed Seeley extended their hitting streaks on Thursday evening, but it wasn’t enough to hold off three runs over the final three frames for visiting Sam Houston State as the Lamar baseball team fell 9-8 at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
The loss snapped LU’s six-game Southland winning streak, which was the longest for the program since 2010. The Red and White dropped to 22-16 on the year with an 8-8 league mark. SHSU extended its league streak to six straight games, improving to 10-6 in the conference and 26-12 for the season.
Bumpers, who ended the night 2-for-5, has now hit safely in 22 consecutive games, and Seeley went 3-for-5 to up his streak to 15. The duo played a big role in LU’s opening two frames, helping the Cards grab an 8-3 lead vs. the two-time defending conference champions.
After surrendering a pair of runs in the top of the first, Seeley and Bumpers both picked up hits down the left field line to put runners on second and third with one out. Jacoby Middleton and Brandon Provost singled in the ensuing at-bats to tie things up, and Kyle Markum doubled to right center to hand LU the lead. Mason Salazar continued the surge with a run scoring single to chase SHSU starting pitcher Jason Simms from the mound. Justin Eckols and Jake Sutton kept the carnage going with a sacrifice fly and a run-scoring triple, respectively, to put the Cards ahead 6-2 after one.
SHSU reclaimed a run in the second on a Shea Pierce solo homer, but Seeley and Bumpers wiped it out with a double and a single in the bottom half of the frame. Bumpers would later score on a Nolan Riggs wild pitch to make it 8-3.
LU had 10 hits after the game’s opening two innings, extending its streak of games with double-digit hits to five, but the Cards were ultimately out-hit 13-12 by the visitors from Huntsville.
SHSU’s Hayden Simerly homered and three runs scored in the third to bring LU starting pitcher Will Hibbs’ night to a close. The sophomore out of Friendswood tossed three innings and gave up six runs (two unearned) on five hits and three walks.
A Ryan O’Hearn lead-off triple and Pierce sacrifice fly cut the deficit to one in the seventh, and SHSU ultimately took the lead back in the eighth on an O’Hearn two-out double. Danny Fernandez was pegged with the loss, dropping his record to 0-3 on the year.
The Cards and Bearkats will square off again on Friday at Vincent-Beck Stadium. Chase Angelle will get the start on the mound, and first pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
#PeckEm
