May 2, 2014

Box Score

BEAUMONT – Both Sam Bumpers and David Carver are playing in their final home series in a Lamar baseball jersey, and they opened up the weekend in style, leading the Cardinals past Houston Baptist in 9-1 fashion at Vincent-Beck Stadium on Friday night.

With the win, the Cards further improved their Southland Conference positioning, moving to 13-9 in league play and 28-18 for the season. The Huskies dropped to 9-13 and 20-22, respectively.

Bumpers, who saw his school-record hitting streak snapped at 28 games earlier this week, was a nuisance to the HBU pitching staff, going 4-for-5 with three doubles and three scores, and Carver was unblemished over six scoreless innings of work, striking out four and giving up six hits to improve to 2-1 on the season.

“All I can say is that I’m 2-0 when my dad flies in,” Carver said. “I threw a complete game with him here last year, and it felt good to pitch well again this year. It’s always important to win these Friday night games. It gives us confidence, and now we just need to come back tomorrow and try to get another series win.”

“This win is huge for us,” Bumpers added. “If we can get another win or two this weekend, it should give us a little bit of breathing room for the rest of the year. I was trying to come out tonight and hit the ball hard, and I was able to find the gaps and help us pick up the win.”

The Cards wasted little time getting the offense going as Jude Vidrine unloaded on the first HBU pitch of the game, tripling to right center, and Reed Seeley followed up with a single in the ensuing at-bat to draw first blood. A Bumpers double and Jacoby Middleton sacrifice fly added to the advantage, and hits from both Brandon Provost and Kevin Santana brought pushed two more across home plate to make it 4-0.

LU registered five of its 13 hits in the first inning. Middleton would go on to finish the game 3-for-4 with three RBI, and Seeley ended 1-for-3 with three scores and a pair of walks.

After Kyle Markum singled home Bumpers in the third, the Cards would score three more times in the fourth. Both Seeley and Bumpers scored on a Middleton double, and an errant throw by HBU shortstop C.J. Jarvis made it 8-0 after four.

Seeley walked and then scored on a Bumpers double in the eighth before the Huskies would pick up a consolation run in the top of the ninth.

Andrew Beasley, who is also playing in his final weekend at Vincent-Beck Stadium, tossed the final three frames for the Cards, allowing an unearned run on two hits to earn his first save of the season.

LU will return to action vs. HBU on Saturday afternoon, with Senior Day festivities slated to precede the game on the field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.

#PeckEm