BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University Cardinals head down I-10 to Houston for their final non-conference road games of the regular season when they meet the Houston Cougars in a doubleheader at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
 
The Cardinals (17-18) have struggled away from the LU Softball Complex this season, going just 6-15 (2-9 in away games, 4-6 in neutral-site games). LU has lost four straight road games, and the task won't be easy against the Cougars (16-16), who are 12-9 at home this season. The Cougars are 7-1 all-time vs. LU, including 4-0 at home.
 
Both teams bring three-game losing streaks into Tuesday's doubleheader. The Cardinals were swept in a three-game Southland Conference series at Southeastern Louisiana over the weekend, while Houston, a member of the American Athletic Conference, dropped three close non-conference games. The Cougars were edged 1-0 by visiting McNeese before falling in both ends of a doubleheader at Texas by scores of 3-1 and 2-1.
 
"This is another tough challenge for us," LU coach Holly Bruder said. "Houston has some big hitter and they have solid pitching. We have to cut down on our mistakes and we have to take advantage of our opportunities."
 
Cashing in on their chances is something the Cardinals failed to do over the weekend at Southeastern Louisiana, stranding 28 runners in three games. LU hit .192 with runners in scoring position over the weekend.
 
"We got runners, but we didn't get the timely hits," Bruder said. "We also made costly errors. That's something we're going to address at practice."
 
LU center fielder Brittany Rodriguez enters the week leading the Southland Conference with a .422 batting average. The junior leads LU with a .505 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage. Ashley McDowell, who is second with a .325 batting average, enters the week with 98 career RBIs as she looks to become the first player in program history to reach the 100-RBI plateau.
 
The Cardinals will face a Houston pitching staff that sports a 2.73 ERA. The Cougars are led in the circle by sophomore right-hander Savannah Heebner (7-5, 2.41) and freshman righty Trystan Melancon (7-5, 2.45).
 
Offensively, the Cougars are led by sophomore outfielder Maya Thomas, who is hitting .463. Arielle James is batting .391, while Shelby Miller has a .364 batting average to go along with team-leading totals of eight home runs and 32 RBIs. As team, Houston is hitting .297.
 
Bruder expects to go with senior right-hander Ciara Luna (5-11, 3.34) and junior righty Laura Napoli (8-7, 3.25) as her two starters.
 
"Ciara and Laura are the type of pitchers who want and need more innings to stay sharp," Bruder said. "I will probably go to the bullpen to give those pitchers some work, but it's no secret that we rely on Ciara and Laura."
 
Following Tuesday's doubleheader, the Cardinals open a seven-game homestand starting with a Southland Conference doubleheader vs. the Sam Houston State Bearkats at 4 p.m. Friday. The Cardinals and Bearkats play a single game at 3 p.m. Saturday. The homestand continues when Central Arkansas comes to town for a single game at 5 p.m. April 14 and a doubleheader at 2 p.m. April 15. A non-conference game against the Texas State Bobcats at 3 p.m. April 18 wraps up the homestand.
 
"We're definitely excited to have some home games coming up," Bruder said. "We know those conference games are important. We're going to use the doubleheader at Houston to help us get ready."
 
TICKETS: For tickets to all LU home games, call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE. Tickets are also available at the LU ticket office, located in the Montagne Center, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Tickets will be available at the ticket window at the LU Softball Complex starting one hour prior to first pitch.