AUSTIN, Texas – Lamar University Baseball jumped out to an early lead, but No. 21 Texas was able to overcome it and take advantage of free passes when the Longhorns downed the Cardinals 9-5 at UFCU Disch-Falk field in non-conference action. 
 
In the second inning, freshman Cole Coker put the Cardinals (6-3) on top 3-0 with a blast to the right field bullpen that pushed across Robin Adames and Chad Fleischman, each who singled in front of him. Adames lined a first pitch through the left side, and took second base on Fleischman's two-strike single through right side. Coker, who started for the first time in his collegiate career, crushed a one ball, two strike pitch for his first career bomb.
 
Texas (6-3) answered with two in the bottom of the frame, but it was a two-run blast in the third inning from UT's fifth-hole hitter Brian Boswell that put the Horns on top. Kody Clemens led off the inning with a single to left, and from there pitcher Ryan Erickson was able to sit two down on a fly out and strikeout. Erickson had a one-ball count on Boswell before he belted his homer.
 
Free passes helped the Longhorn pour on with three in the fifth inning. Ryan Reynolds drew a one-out walk in the fifth and took third base on Kacy Clemens' second double of the game, this one to right field. Both moved up on a balk, followed by Boswell being plunked by a pitch.
 
Travis Jones singled through the right side and chased home Clemens, and Boswell scored when Bryndan Arredondo was tagged with a throwing error trying to catch Jones on the move to second base.
 
Same story in the seventh inning when Boswell reached on a two-out walk, but scored on a triple to right field by Jones. In the eighth, David Hamilton drew a walk and stole second base to be in position for Kody Clemens' RBI-single up the middle.
 
Seven Longhorns reached on a free pass (five walks and two hit batters), and five ended up with a run.
 
Ten pitchers took the hill for Big Red, and Brent Janak had the longest outing at 1 2/3 innings. Janak allowed only one hit and a walk. Brett Brown started the contest for Lamar and pitched a perfect first inning. Ryan Erickson (0-1) took the loss on one inning of work and was the hurler that gave up the home run to Boswell.
 
Nick Kennedy (1-0) took the victory with 1 1/3 innings pitched. He allowed one hit and struck out another. Beau Ridgeway (1) earned the save on two shutout innings.
 
The top three of LU's starting lineup was 0-11 with five strikeouts. The majority of LU's production came from the bottom five in the order. Adames (2-of-4), Fleischman (1-for-4), Coker (1-of-4) and Phil Ingram (1-for-3) were a collective 5-for-15 with a walk and four runs scored.
 
Adames was 2-of-4 in the game, which led the Cardinals. Reid Russell upped his hit streak to 10 games with a single up the middle in the fourth. Stefanos Panayiotou joined Coker with his first career long ball, a two-run blast in the seventh inning that scored Ingram – who reached on a walk.

Boswell's homer was the first the Cardinals allowed on the season. Without an appearance on the basepaths, Cutter McDowell's 26-game reached base streak was snapped. 
 
The Cardinals wrap up their four-game road swing with three contests at UT Rio Grande Valley. The first game of that series is at 7 p.m. Friday night, followed by two noon games on Saturday and Sunday.