AUSTIN, Texas - The thermometer may have indicated it was the coldest day of the season for the Lamar Lady Cardinals, but the stats showed it was their hottest day of the season.

With temperatures in the low 30s made to feel even brisker by strong winds, the Lady Cardinals erupted for a total of 19 runs over two games Friday at the Texas Invitational hosted by the University of Texas.

Lamar (5-8) started out the day with a 6-2 win over defending Ivy League champion Dartmouth before rolling over Texas Southern, the defending SWAC champion, by a 13-1 score in five innings.

"We had a lot of heroes and great performances today," Lamar coach Holly Bruder said. "I love what I saw today."

Laura Napoli pitched a complete game in the win over Dartmouth, scattering seven hits and striking out two as she improved her record to 3-4. Jenna Holland had two hits, including a home run, and two RBIs. Casey Cromwell also had two hits for the Lady Cardinals, who played errorless ball.

Shannon Sain was the hitting star for Lamar in the second game, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and five RBIs. Holland went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, while Stephanie Meeuwsen added two hits. Lauren Dannelley (2-4) pitched the first four innings, allowing just one hit and one unearned run. Amie Cisneros pitched an inning of scoreless relief.

For the day, Lamar hit .360 (18-of-50) as the Lady Cardinals ended their six-game losing streak.

Lamar is scheduled to play two games on Saturday, facing Dartmouth at 10 a.m. and the host Longhorns at 1 p.m. Both games will be shown live on the Longhorn Sports Network and on ESPN3. Lamar wraps up the weekend at noon Sunday with a rematch against Texas Southern.

"Saturday will be tough," Bruder said. "Dartmouth lost a 1-0 game to Texas on Friday. They're a good team that lost two tough ones today. Of course, we know that Texas is a good team."

Following this weekend, the Lady Cardinals come home to christen the brand-new Lamar Softball Complex when they host Houston Baptist in a Southland Conference doubleheader at 3 p.m. March 6. For ticket information, call (409) 880-1715, or visit www.LamarCardinals.com.

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