BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University Cardinals moved into sole possession of second place in the Southland Conference standings thanks to Saturday's doubleheader sweep of visiting Southeastern Louisiana.
 
LU (24-14 overall, 11-4 Southland) moved a half-game ahead of Nicholls after downing the Lady Lions by scores of 10-6 and 6-3 at the LU Softball Complex. LU sits two games behind league-leading McNeese State with 12 conference games remaining. LU swept the series thanks to a 4-0 win over the Lady Lions on Friday.
 
"Our top goal for the regular season was to win the conference," LU coach Holly Bruder said. "If we couldn't do that, our next goal was to finish in the top two to get a first-round bye in the tournament. At the very least, our goal was to get into the conference tournament. There's still a lot of time left, but we have put ourselves in a positon to achieve our goals."
 
Both games saw the Cardinals ride a six-run inning to victory. In the opener, LU battled back from a 6-4 deficit by scoring six runs in the bottom of the sixth to stun the Lady Lions. In the nightcap, LU trailed 2-0 before taking control with a six-run third inning.
 
"We got some timely hitting, today," Bruder said. "We used everything in our repertoire this weekend. We showed we're a versatile team."
 
LU's big inning in the opener saw the Cardinals get just two hits in the frame, but take advantage of three SLU errors. The highlight of the inning came when Jenna Holland laid down a perfect bunt with two runners on base and came around to score on the play thanks to miscues by the Lady Lions' defense.
 
"That's when you know things are going right, when you lay down a squeeze bunt and come score on the play," Bruder said. "We were aggressive and made things happen."
 
Kelly Meeuwsen and Brittany Rodriguez each had two hits and scored two runs for LU, while Ashley McDowell had a pair of RBIs. LU reliever Amie Cisneros (2-1) got the win with two innings of scoreless relief. LU starter Laura Napoli allowed six hits and six runs, four earned over five innings.
 
The Cardinals were able to overcome five errors in the first game and eight errors on the day.
 
"Am I happy with eight errors? Absolutely not," Bruder said. "But we were able to overcome them with timely hitting, good pitching and some big plays defensively when we needed them."
 
Katie Lacour and Brittney Wingate had two hits each for Southeastern Louisiana in the opener. Taylor Bishop (11-11), the third Southeastern Louisiana pitcher used, took the loss, allowing five runs, all unearned, in 1/3 of an inning.
 
In the nightcap, the Cardinals scored all of their runs and got all six of their hits in the third inning to give starter Ciara Luna (12-4) all of the support she would need. McDowell's two-run single down the left-field line capped the rally.
 
Luna allowed four hits and two runs, both earned, over four innings before giving way to Lauren Dannelley, who allowed one unearned run over three innings for her second save of the season.
 
"We got strong relief pitching in both games today," Bruder said. "I was pleased with the way Amie and Lauren pitched today."
 
Southeastern Louisiana starter Caitlyn VanHemelryck (3-3) took the loss, allowing two hits and three runs, all earned over two-plus innings. Lacour had two of the five hits for the Lady Lions (19-20, 5-10).
 
"Sweeping a series is always tough," Bruder said. "We battled all weekend and found a way to win. I'm proud of my team for that."
 
The Cardinals have a non-conference game at Texas State at 6 p.m. Wednesday before returning home to host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a three-game conference series next weekend. The series opens with a single game at 6 p.m. Friday and a doubleheader at 2 p.m. Saturday at the LU Softball Complex, where the Cardinals are 12-1 this season and 24-6 at the venue since its opening last season.
 
"We take a lot of pride in the complex," Bruder said. "We think it's one of the best facilities in the conference, and we're thrilled by the fan support we get here. We can't wait to see them out here again next weekend."
 
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