BEAUMONT – The Lamar University offense exploded Tuesday night, mainly behind a six-run second inning, when the Cardinal baseball run-ruled Prairie View A&M 13-3 after Reid Russell crushed his third home run of the season to end it in the seventh inning at Vincent-Beck Stadium in non-conference action.
 
Russell stepped to the plate with Jake Nash on second on an error by PVAMU (2-6) short stop Kevin Macias and Jacoby Middleton at first on a walk. He drove a 2-2 count pitch over the left field wall and ended the game with a run-rule walk off. His home run was the second of the game for LU after Nash hit one to left center in the first inning to give Big Red a 2-0 lead.
 
The win improves Lamar to 7-3 and snaps a three-game skid it experienced in the series with North Dakota State. It will return to action on Friday at 6 p.m. with the first of a three-game tilt against UT Rio Grande Valley. The second game is slated for 2 o'clock Saturday and the finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
 
Already up 2-0 after Nash's homer in the first, the Cardinals put six runs on the board with seven hits and one walk in the second. Robin Adames, who was the starting catcher Tuesday, led off the inning with a single to right center field and took third a few pitches later when Trey Silvers doubled to left center.
 
Ryan Erickson drove them in and put himself in scoring position on a double down the left line, and he took third on a shallow single to right field from Chaneng Varela. Stijn van der Meer walk to load the bases for Nash, who punched through a double to left field that scored two.
 
Nash finished the day with a game-high four runs batted in and three runs scored.
 
Two batters after Nash's double, Middleton drove both van der Meer and Nash in with a double to the centerfield wall that made it 8-0.
 
The Cardinals made it 10-0 when Adames knocked in Middleton with a single through the left side and Erickson drove in Russell with a sacrifice fly to left field in the fourth frame. Middelton reached on one of his three base on balls and Russell one of his three hits.
 
The three runs from Prairie View came in the fifth frame, all on four-straight batters to reach. Edgar Sanchez led off the inning with a single to left field and took second on a hit-by-pitch. Jaron Hicks drove in Sanchez with a single to left and Brashard Jones a single through the right side.
 
Travis Moore (1-1) started the game, for the second time in his career, and worked three frames with one hit allowed and three strikeouts. Tyler Keegan worked one inning with two hits and was responsible for all three runs. Brent Janak took over in the fourth and allowed only two hits and struck out two, and Josh Crain finished the game with one inning of work and one hit.
 
Edward Robeldo (1-2) suffered the loss in only 1.1 innings of work. He gave up eight of the 13 runs on nine hits and two walks.
 
All but one Cardinal in the starting lineup recorded a hit, and six of them had two or more led by Reid Russell at three. Nash was 2-of-5 as well as Cutter McDowell and Adames, Silvers and Varela were all 2-of-4. Van der Meer joined Middleton with three walks in the contest.
 
After the UTRGV series, LU will host Rice on March 8 to end the Cardinals' 14-game homestand that opened the season. For tickets or information, visit the ticket office in the Montagne Center or call 409-880-1715.