CONWAY, Ark. – If the Lamar University Cardinals are going to claim their first-ever Southland Conference Softball Tournament title, they are going to have to win five straight games to do so.
 
The third-seeded Cardinals fell into the losers' bracket after dropping a 2-1 decision to the second-seeded Nicholls Colonels on Wednesday, as Nicholls capitalized on three LU errors to score a pair of unearned runs to spoil the second solid complete-game effort of the day from LU right-hander Ciara Luna.
 
The Cardinals (28-27) will face fifth-seeded Central Arkansas, the host team, in an elimination game at 10 a.m. Thursday.
 
Luna, who threw a four-hitter earlier in the day in LU's 4-2 win over Northwestern State, threw another four-hitter against the Colonels, striking out seven.
 
"You can't ask much more from your starting pitcher," LU coach Holly Bruder said of Luna. "To throw a four-hitter against the second-seeded team in the tournament is impressive. Unfortunately, we made some costly errors and couldn't come up with the timely hits."
 
Neither team could get much going throughout the first four innings, as Luna limited Nicholls to one hit, while Nicholls starter Megan Landry had a no-hitter through four innings. The Cardinals had a glorious scoring opportunity in the fourth with Ashley McDowell on first base after a leadoff walk. With two outs, LU's Sable Hankins ripped a shot toward the gap in right-center. McDowell, who was running on the pitch, was nearing third base when Nicholls center fielder Kasey Frederick made a lunging backhand grab of the ball to rob Hankins of at least a run-scoring double.
 
Nicholls (36-18) scored a pair of runs in the fifth inning after a pair of costly LU errors. Gretchen Morgan had an RBI single and Sydney Bourg had a two-out RBI double for the Colonels.
 
The Cardinals threatened in the seventh as Kelly Meeuwsen led off with a double and scored on a one-out single by Shelby Henderson. Landry got out of the inning by getting Elizabeth Castillo to pop up before Shelby Henderson was just nipped at first base on a great throw by Bourg from third base to end the game.
 
Meeuwsen had two of LU's four hits, while Henderson and Brittany Rodriguez had the others.
 
"We put ourselves in a tough position," Bruder said. "It won't be easy, but we just have to take it one game at a time."
 
The winner of Thursday's 10 a.m. game will play again at 5:30 p.m. for a spot in the semifinals, while the loser sees its title hopes end.
 
LU took two of three games from Central Arkansas earlier this season at the LU Softball Complex.
 
Thursday's games will be shown live on the Southland Conference's website. Watch by CLICKING HERE.