Final Stats

BEAUMONT - Danny Fernandez was `brilliant' on the mound in relief, but the Lamar baseball team could not back him up with the clutch hit it needed in a 2-0 loss to Incarnate Word on Saturday at Vincent-Beck Stadium in Southland Conference action.

The rubber match of the three-game set is slated for 1 o'clock first pitch at Vincent-Beck Stadium.

Fernandez took the mound for Lamar (19-23, 8-12 Southland Conference) with two outs in the third inning after LU starter Jayson McKinley-who allowed two scores in the first two innings- gave up back-to-back two-out base knocks.

Fernandez ended the third with a forced ground ball and sat down the next four batters he saw.

"Danny did great job," said Lamar head coach Jim Gilligan, who was honored for his 1,300th career win in pregame festivities.

"It was good to see. He was our Friday and Saturday pitcher for much of the year and hit a dry spell," said Gilligan. "I love that kid. He's been through a lot this year, and there's no doubt he is a competitor."

The senior worked 6.1 scoreless innings with three hits and one walk surrendered and six strikeouts. He ran through the seventh and eighth frames perfect, and retired a game-high seven batters at one point.

"That was a brilliant performance on his part today," he said. "He just didn't get backed up."

Lamar outhit the Incarnate Word (14-27, 5-15) 11-9 and played perfect defense, but was never able to gain the lead. The biggest threat to score was in the fourth inning when the home Cardinals had the bases loaded and one out, but a 1-2-3 double play ended the frame.

LU had another chance in the fifth, with runners at first and second, but a strikeout and fly ball ended the chance. Again in the sixth, Big Red loaded the bags with only an out, but a pop up and fly ball concluded the frame.

All told, the Lamar stranded 10 runners on base- seven in scoring position- and hit into four double plays.

"We had a lot of `excuse me' swings in key situations," said Gilligan. "I just told them that we needed to win that game. In the two series we have left at home (including UIW), we needed to use those to make a move."

At the outset of the game, Lamar was one game back of Texas A&M-Corpus Christ, which holds the last entry (8th place) into the Southland Conference Tournament. LU travels to first place Southeastern Louisiana next weekend and returns home for 11th place Stephen F. Austin following.

UIW's starter Garrett Cooper (5-5) earned the win on six scoreless innings with four walks and two strikeouts. John Shull finished the contest for the Cardinals and earned his first save of the year on four hits surrendered.

McKinley fell to 2-3 on the season with two runs on six hits and two walks in the game.

Stijn van der Meer was a perfect 4-of-4 at the plate and Joe Arechiga was a 2-of-3. CJ Moore, Jake Nash, Brandon Provost, Justin Eckols, and Mason Salazar all accounted for hits.

"It would've been nice if the bases were loaded and Stijn was up, but he was the one that was always on base," said Gilligan.

LU finishes its midweek slate on Wednesday when the Cardinals host Texas Southern at 4:00 in Vincent-Beck Stadium.