BEAUMONT – Southeastern Louisiana put up three runs in the fifth inning on a little two-out magic to claim a lead, and kept the Lamar University baseball team at bay for a 5-2 Lion win Saturday afternoon at Vincent-Beck Stadium in Southland Conference action.
 
The loss was Lamar's (31-14, 16-7 Southland Conference) fourth-straight, the longest skid it has suffered all season. Southeastern improved to 34-14 on the year and 20-3 in league action, it maintains the hold of first place.
 
Cardinal starter Billy Love (5-3) sat down Drew Avans to lead off the inning, but walked Webb Bobo, who was pinch ran for by Ryan Byers. Pinch hitter Sam Roberson followed that up with a single through the right side, but right fielder Cutter McDowell came up throwing and gunned down Byers at third for two outs.
 
Reigning league player of the year Jacob Seward tripled to right field and scored Roberson from first. Seward was scored when Derrick Mount put down a bunt single to the left side. Mount took second on a Brennan Breaud's single through the right side, and scored when Daniel Midyett singled to center field.
 
The Cardinals answered with one in the bottom of the frame when Chaneng Varela doubled home Jacoby Middleton, who started the inning with a single up the middle, but SLU got it back with two runs in top of the sixth.
 
Avans led off the frame with single through the right side, and Byers tripled him home down the right field line. Byers scored on Roberson's double past a drawn-in infield.
 
LU jumped out to a 1-0 lead when Nash singled home Varela from third base in the third inning. Varela led off the frame with single to right, one of his two base knocks in the game, and took third when Stijn van der Meer singled to right in the next at-bat.
 
A couple of mishaps on the bases hurt LU. After Nash's single in the third that put Lamar on top, he was cut down at second after a late break on a wild pitch, which put two outs on the board. In the fifth, Varela worked his way to third base with just one out. He tried to score on a groundout, but was called out on a bang-bang play Nash singled in the next at-bat.
 
The Cardinals were able to get men on the base paths in the sixth, seventh and eighth frames, but could never find the two out magic they needed. Russell led off the sixth with an infield single and took second two batters later on Silvers' one-out single, but a strikeout and fly out ended the threat.
 
Van der Meer and Nash each drew one-out walks in the seventh, but a fielder's choice and strike out ruined that chance. In the eighth, Silvers ripped a one-out double to left and Middleton reached on an error, but a lineout and groundout ended that one.
 
Lamar ended the game with 10 runners left on base.
 
Love was tagged with the loss with five earned runs on nine hits and two walks. He started the game rolling, but couldn't shut down the Lions in the fifth. Breaud led off the game with a single through the right side, but a double play and lineout ended it. From there he proceeded to sit down nine of the next 10 batters.
 
Fernando Martinez relieved him in the sixth with one on and no out and gave up one run, but from there he was lights out. He finished the game with four scoreless innings with just two hits allowed and three strikeouts.
 
Mac Sceroler (9-2) tied Will Hibbs for the Southland Conference lead in wins with six innings of work and only two runs allowed. Kade Granier claimed the save with 2 2/3 scoreless innings and one hit and walk given up.
 
Lamar will try and avoid the sweep Sunday at 1 o'clock. It will send right-hander Jimmy Johnson (7-2, 3.05 earned run average) to face lefty Domenick Carlini (5-1, 2.01).
 
Monday night's game against Houston was cancelled, and no midweek game is on tap for the week.  Next time out, LU will host Sam Houston State- starting at 6 p.m. Friday night.