The Lady Cardinals, who will be making their second tournament appearance in three years since reviving the program at Lamar, punched their ticket to the postseason by rallying for a 9-7 win over the Colonels in the opener. The second game secured the No. 5 spot in the tourney for Lamar, as the Lady Cardinals routed Nicholls 10-2 in five innings.

"That first win was huge for us. It seemed to lift a big weight off of our shoulders," said Lamar coach Holly Bruder, who saw her team snap a six-game skid. "That's the sign of a young team. We were tight in the first game, but we battled back and found a way to win. You could see that we were looser in the second game."

Saturday was Senior Day at the Lamar Softball Complex, but it was a sophomore who stole the show. Brynn Baca went 4-for-4 with four RBIs in the opener as she set a school record for hits in a game, and followed that up with two more hits in the nightcap. For the day, Baca was 6-for-7 with a double, five RBIs, two runs scored and a stolen base.

"I was seeing beach balls up there today," Baca said. "I felt confident at the plate. I knew we needed to win these games."

Lamar trailed 7-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth before scoring five runs in the inning on just one hit. Reliever Jackie Johnson (7-9) took the loss, allowing four runs in 2/3 of an inning. Johnson walked four batters in her short stint, with all four coming around to score. Baca had the only hit of the inning, a two-run single off of starter Hannah Haydel, who re-entered the game to replace Johnson.

Lamar reliever Lauren Dannelley (7-8) picked up the win for Lamar, allowing seven hits and six runs, none earned, in six innings.

"That was the best Lauren has pitched all season," Bruder said. "She came up big when we needed it."

In the nightcap, Lamar trailed 2-1 heading into the bottom of the third before breaking things open with five runs in the inning. Pinch-hitter Taylor Duck blasted a two-run home run to highlight the inning.

Lamar ended the game with four runs in the fifth inning. Fittingly, it was a pair of seniors who ended things as Shannon Sain singled home Taylor Duck to give Lamar an eight-run advantage, putting the run rule into effect.

Freshman Laura Napoli (17-16), who lasted just one inning in the first game, bounced back with a solid effort in the nightcap. Napoli scattered seven hits over five innings, allowing two earned runs, as she tied the single-season school record for wins, set by Shannon Millman in 2013.

Senior Casey Cromwell had three hits -- two doubles and a triple -- on the day for Lamar in her final home games.

After the second game, the Lady Cardinals paid tribute to Cromwell, Duck and Sain, along with graduate assistant pitching coach Jenna Rodriguez for their efforts in building the program.

The Lady Cardinals open up Southland Conference Tournament play at 11 a.m. Wednesday when they take on fourth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana at Northwestern State. The double-elimination tournament is scheduled to run through Friday.

"It was a bitter taste to not go last year after making the tournament in our first year," Bruder said. "We worked hard to get back to the tournament. We want to win some games this time."

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