BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University softball team hosts its first-ever tournament this weekend as it welcomes Incarnate Word, Northern Colorado, Alcorn State and Texas Southern to Beaumont for the Cardinal Classic.
 
The 12-game event features five games on Friday, five on Saturday and two on Sunday. The host Cardinals play two games Friday and Saturday and one game on Sunday at the recently completed LU Softball Complex. The action gets under way at 10 a.m. each day.
 
"We're excited to be able to host a tournament at home," said LU coach Holly Bruder, who saw her team open the season by going 3-2 at the Sportco Kick Off Classic in Las Vegas last weekend. "We want to build off of what we did in Las Vegas."
 
The Cardinals hit .327 as a team in Las Vegas, with Brynn Baca (.444), Sable Hankins (.438) and Sarah Ragsdale (.417) all hitting better than .400.
 
"We swung the bats well last week," Bruder said. "It's even more impressive when you consider that all five teams threw their ace against us. I was very happy with our offense."
 
Junior pitcher Ciara Luna, a transfer from Navarro College, helped LU get the tournament started on a good note, tossing a four-hit shutout in a 3-0 win over Syracuse. Luna went 2-0 with a 1.79 era in four appearance, including two starts last weekend.
 
"Our starting pitching was OK, but our bullpen needs to get better," Bruder said. "That's one of the things we know we have to work on this weekend."
 
This is the third time in the four seasons since softball was revived at LU that the Cardinals are 3-2 after five games. The Cardinals are looking to have their best 10-game start since bring softball back. LU was 4-6 in 2013 and 3-7 in both 2014 and 2015.
 
The first game this weekend sees Alcorn State clashing with Northern Colorado at 10 a.m. Friday. LU opens play when it faces Incarnate Word at 12:15 p.m. Friday. LU faces Northern Colorado at 4:45 p.m. Friday. On Saturday, LU meets Alcorn State at 12:15 p.m. and Texas Southern at 4:45 p.m. The Cardinals face Northern Colorado again at 10 a.m. Sunday.
 
Fans attending Friday's games will receive a free Lamar University schedule poster. Fans at Saturday's game will receive a free Lamar University roster T-shirt while supplies last. For ticket information, call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE.
 
The entire tournament schedule is below.
 
Friday, Feb. 19
Alcorn State vs. Northern Colorado, 10 a.m.
Incarnate Word at Lamar University, 12:15 p.m.
Texas Southern vs. Alcorn State, 2:30 p.m.
Northern Colorado at Lamar University, 4:45 p.m.
Incarnate Word vs. Texas Southern, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 20
Texas Southern vs. Northern Colorado, 10 a.m.
Alcorn State at Lamar University, 12:15 p.m.
Northern Colorado vs. Incarnate Word, 2:30 p.m.
Texas Southern at Lamar University, 4:45 p.m.
Alcorn State vs. Incarnate Word, 7 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 21
Northern Colorado at Lamar University, 10 a.m.
Incarnate Word vs. Alcorn State, 12:15 p.m.