BEAUMONT – Just when it looked like the Cardinals had blown a six-run lead with a four-error sixth inning that allowed New Orleans to take a lead, Chaneng Varela popped a two-run home run to left center to give LU an advantage it would not relinquish in a 10-7 win over the Privateers Thursday night in Southland Conference action at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
 
The Cardinals (14-7, 5-2 Southland Conference) jumped up 6-0 after the second inning, mostly on two out hits. Jacoby Middleton crushed a solo shot to right center, but after two strikeouts Stijn van der Meer got the rally started with a two-out single. Including van der Meer's single, LU had four hits in six trips to the plate, the other two were walks.
 
Cardinal starter Will Hibbs (4-1) was in control all the way to the sixth inning, and had a no-hitter going until two outs in the fifth. In the sixth, Aaron Palmer singled to shallow center and advanced to second when Dakota Dean was walked, and that is when the snowball started rolling.
 
UNO's (16-6, 4-3) Hezekiah Randolph hit a roller to third base that Cutter McDowell was able to field and throw to Jake Nash, but before he could close the glove on it the ball rolled out and allowed Randolph to reach and loaded the bases. Kyle Bracey took advantage and doubled home the lead runners, the only two earned runs Hibbs and Lamar would surrender.
 
Next up, Sam Capielano rolled a bouncer down the third base line that McDowell bare handed, but threw it wide of first base and allowed Randolph to score and Capielano to be safe. Preston Marsh sacrificed Bracey home. In the next at-bat, Chaz Boyer rolled over a sure inning-ending double play, but the ball when through the wickets of shortstop Stijn van der Meer, which sent Capielano to third. Jay Robinson scored one on a single to center field and van der Meer was charged with another error when Palmer rolled one up the middle. Dakota Dean drove in the last run, Robinson, in with a single to left field.
 
"Our lead should not have evaporated like that.  (UNO) did have some key hits in the inning, but we did everything we could to help them," said head coach Jim Gilligan. "They never quit. It looked like the game was ours, but they kept coming.
 
"Not only did we not make plays, but we looked really bad, which is uncharacteristic for us.  It was just an ugly inning," he said. "Poor Will goes out there and is in control pitch count-wise and did not get much help."
 
Hibbs came out for one more inning after the seven-run sixth, and sat down the side in order with a fly out and two groundouts. He finished his night with seven innings of work with two earned runs allowed on five hits and four walks. He struck out his season low, two batters.
 
Heading to the eighth, UNO starter Shawn Semple (3-1) was still out there with well over 100 pitches. He sat down the first man in the inning, but walked Middleton. With a 2-2 count on him, Varela smoked a ball to left center field for his first career homer in a Lamar uniform.
 
"Fortunately for us, we get that unpredictable homer from our second baseman," said Gilligan with a chuckle. "That was a really good one."
 
One inning later, LU went for insurance runs when Nash led off the inning with a walk and was driven after Bryndan Arredondo laced a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall.
 
Jimmy Johnson took the mound between the two innings and worked two scoreless frames with just two hits allowed along with two strikeouts. He earned his third save of the year.
 
In the second inning, van der Meer scored from first on Nash's double that hit just inside of the right field line. Arredondo was walked to put two on, and Reid Russell doubled home Nash. With the hits in that inning, van der Meer and Nash both continued their double-figure hitting streaks; Russell at 13 and van der Meer at 11.
 
After Russell's double, Cutter McDowell was walked to load the bases and Robin Adames drove in two with a single to right center.
 
Semple ended up taking the loss on 6.2 innings of work with eight runs allowed on nine hits and five walks. He struck out seven batters and was the only Privateer to record a punchout. Jarred Taylor pitched one-third of an inning and gave up two runs on two hits a walk.
 
Keaton Brewer closed out the contest with one perfect inning.
 
"A lot of zeros on the board on a night where the wind is blowing out," said Gilligan. "You never know when which run is the winning run when the wind is blowing out. You have to keep tacking them up."
 
Lamar will try to go for the series win at 6 p.m. Friday and the final is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday.