HOUSTON – Kelly Meeuwsen doubled twice in an eight-run first inning as the Lamar Cardinals powered their way to an 8-2 win over host Houston Baptist in a Southland Conference softball game on Sunday afternoon.
 
The Cardinals (12-9 overall, 2-1 Southland) sent 12 batters to the plate in the opening frame, getting six hits off of HBU starter Laci Belovsky (6-5) a little more than 24 hours after Belovsky threw a six-hit shutout against LU in the opener of the three-game series.
 
"We did a good job of making adjustments against a pitcher who threw a shutout against us the day before," LU coach Holly Bruder said. "That's the sign of a good team. We were aggressive at the plate in that first inning."
 
Meeuwsen opened the inning with a double down the left-field line and capped off the scoring in the inning with a double to left-center. In between, the Cardinals added four other hits and took advantage of an error and a couple of mental miscues to post their biggest single inning of the season.
 
"I thought we lost our focus offensively after that," Bruder said. "But our pitching was tremendous and we made some great defensive plays."
 
Meeuwsen went 5-for-10 with four doubles and four RBIs on the weekend for the Cardinals.
 
LU starter Ciara Luna, who posted her second career shutout in LU's 4-0 win in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader. Started and went the first three innings Sunday, allowing two hits and no runs, but did not factor in the decision.
 
"Ciara did a great job this weekend," Bruder said. She threw 10 shutout innings. She did everything we wanted her to."
 
Reliever Lauren Dannelley (2-3) earned the win, allowing four hits and one run over three innings. Laura Napoli pitched the seventh, allowing one run.
 
"Lauren got into a couple of jams, but did a good job to get out of them," Bruder said. "We were able to close out the game and win the series, which is key."
 
Brittany Rodriguez went 2-for-4 for the Cardinals, extending her school-record hitting streak to 17 games.
 
Caitlin Gunn and Cecilia Bauer had two hits apiece for HBU (9-10, 1-2), which fell to 1-11 all-time against the Cardinals.
 
LU, which is 4-7 on its current 16-game road sojourn, wraps up the trek away from the LU Softball Complex with a non-conference doubleheader at Jackson State at 5 p.m. Wednesday before heading to Abilene Christian for a three-game conference series. LU and Abilene Christian are scheduled to play a single game at 6 p.m. Friday and a doubleheader at noon Saturday.
 
The Cardinals return home to host Incarnate Word in a three-game Southland Conference series that starts with a doubleheader at 3 p.m. March 25. LU and UIW conclude that series with a single game at 1 p.m. March 26.
 
For ticket information, call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE.