SUGAR LAND, Texas – The key hit eluded the Lamar University baseball team Wednesday afternoon when the Cardinals fell to top-seeded McNeese 7-5 in the opening round of the Southland Conference Tournament, hosted at Constellation Field.
 
The loss moved No. 8 Lamar to the loser's bracket, where it will face No.4 Houston Baptist in an elimination game at noon. HBU fell to No. 5 Central Arkansas 15-4 in a run-rule game in the first round.
 
LU (33-24) trailed the entire game, but had a few opportunities to tie it or take a lead, the biggest in the top of the eighth inning. Reid Russell led off that inning with a single to right field – his second hit of the game – and was moved to third when McNeese's (37-18) Garrett Anderson walked both Robin Adames and Bryndan Arredondo.
 
With the bases loaded and no outs, Anderson had a 2-0 count on Trey Silvers and was quickly pulled for Trent Fontenot. Fontenot put a strike on Silvers but ended up walking him to cut the score to a MSU 7-4 lead. Still with the bases loaded, Fontenot struck out Cole Coker – in a 10-pitch at-bat – and induced a fly out and ground out.
 
The Cardinals put tying run on first base with a one-out RBI-single from Adames in the top of the ninth, but Collin Kober came on and recorded back-to-back strikeouts to end the game and notch his ninth save of the season. Adames' single in the ninth was his third RBI single of the game, and the sophomore claimed three of the four LU RBIs.
 
"Unfortunately they had some big hits, and we never got that knockout blow that could've driven in two or three," said head coach Will Davis. "I'm happy with the way we competed and we never gave up. We just never split a gap or found outfield grass to get that game tied up."
 
In the fifth inning down 4-1, LU rallied for two, but a double play ended a threat with two men on. Phil Ingram led off the frame with a double to right center field. Vincent Dellocono reached on a walk, but was erased in a fielder's choice from Grant DeVore, and a throwing error allowed Ingram to score. Russell reached on a single and Adames followed with a RBI-single – his second of the game – that chased home DeVore. With Russell at second and Adames at first with one out, Arredondo rolled into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.
 
In the seventh, Ingram reached on a leadoff walk, but was rolled into another 4-6-3 double play.  
 
"We have to be a little bit better tomorrow. We were in that game, and I feel like it's one that we could've won," said Davis. "They made plays, and at the end of the day you have to make more plays than the other team."
 
McNeese got the game started with a solo home run from Dustin Duhon in the first inning, and then Austin Nelson hit his own to dead center in the second, which made it 2-0. Adames responded in the third with an RBI single that scored Russell. Russell reached on a one-out walk and advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch.
 
Carson Lance (7-7) started the game for Lamar and worked 5 1/3 innings with six runs allowed on eight hits and seven walks. In the second inning, he worked himself into trouble after Nelson's homer, but was able to get out of the jam. He came back out in the third and struck out the side after a leadoff single. He gave up two runs in the fourth, but responded after that with a perfect fifth.
 
 "It was a sporadic start for Carson. He had good stuff, but gave up a lot of base runners," said Davis. "He really minimized a lot."
 
Lance struck out seven Cowboys.
 
Brett Brown finished the game for Lamar and totaled 2 2/3 innings with just one run allowed on three hits and a walk. He rebounded from his last outing – also against McNeese – when he allowed seven runs in just 1 1/3 innings.
 
Austin Sanders started for the Pokes on the hill, but was chased after 4 1/3 innings. He surrendered three runs on four hits and three walks. Garrett Anderson (8-0) earned the win on 2 2/3 innnings of work. Trent Fontenot fired 1 1/3 innings. Both Fontenot and Anderson allowed one run apiece.
 
Adames had three of the Cardinals seven total hits. He was 3-of-4 and Reid Russell – hitting in the spot in front of him – was 2-for-3 with two walks. DeVore and Ingram accounted for the other two hits, and Silvers picked up the fourth RBI on a bases-loaded walk.
 
Will Fox led the Cowboys' 11-hit effort with three of his own. Ricky Ramirez and Robbie Podorsky each had two.