BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University Cardinals staged one of their most improbable wins since bringing softball back to LU in 2013 as they rallied from a 9-2 sixth-inning deficit for a 10-9 win in eight innings over Alabama A&M on Saturday at the Cardinal Classic.
 
"That shows what type of character this team has," LU coach Holly Bruder said. "You can never count us out. Should we have won this game? Probably not. But we never gave up and kept fighting."
 
The Cardinals (7-6) are 4-0 this weekend after winning two games on Saturday. Earlier in the day, LU posted a 2-0 win over Binghamton, as LU starter Taylor Gruell picked up her first career win.
 
"We found ways to win today," Bruder said. "We got great pitching in the first game, and our bats came alive late in the second game. We played tremendous defense in both games. I keep saying this is the best defensive team we've had in our six years here."
 
In the opener against Binghamton, Gruell (1-0) allowed just one hit over 4 1/3 innings. The freshman right-hander walked four and struck out three. Julia Voluntad pitched one inning of shutout relief before Laura Napoli came one to throw 1 2/3 innings of hitless relief for her second save in as many days.
 
Shelby Henderson gave LU a 1-0 lead in the third when her RBI double scored Savana Guidry, who went 3-for-4. Guidry drove in an insurance run in the sixth inning with an RBI single that scored Kendall Talley.
 
Gruell was aided in the fourth inning by a pair of beautiful catches in center field by Shannon Klaus. First, Klaus ranged into the gap in left-center to rob Makalya Alvarez of extra bases. The very next batter, Klaus came in to make a diving catch to take a hit away from Kate Richard.
 
"It's great knowing I have that defense behind me," Gruell said. "I have complete faith in them."
 
In the nightcap, the Cardinals jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first without the benefit of a hit, taking advantage of four walks and an error.
 
Alabama A&M replied with three runs in the second, fourth and sixth innings to build what seemed to be an insurmountable lead. The Cardinals, however, had different plans, pounding out five hits to score five runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it 9-7. Kendall Talley had a two-run triple and Paige Holmes added a one-run three-bagger to give the Cardinals hope.
 
The Cardinals cut the lead to 9-8 with one out in the seventh on a Taylor Davis ground out. LU was down to its final out when the Cardinals caught a break. Holmes popped up for what seemed to be the final out of the game, but the ball somehow eluded the glove of the Alabama A&M shortstop allowing Talley to come across with the tying run.
 
Alabama A&M threatened, but failed to score in the top of the eighth. Napoli (3-3), who got the win in relief was aided by a beautiful throw from Holmes at first base on an attempted sacrifice to retire the runner at third.
 
With the international tie-breaker rule in effect in extra innings, the Cardinals started the bottom of the eighth with Shelby Hughston on second base. She didn't stay there long, as the Lady Bulldogs mishandled Kelly Meeuwsen's bunt, throwing it into right field, easily allowing Hughston to score.
 
"I heard Coach Bruder saying they had threw the ball away as she was waving me home," Hughston said. "I just ran home as fast as I could."
 
Napoli picked up the win with 4 1/3 innings of relief. She allowed five hits and three runs. She walked four and struck out two. The Cards are 4-0 this weekend, with Napoli earning two wins and picking up two saves.
 
The marathon game saw the teams combined for 24 walks and 29 runners left on base in a contest that lasted 2 hours, 59 minutes.
 
"We issued too many walks," Bruder said. "You give up that many walks, any team at any level is going to score runs. That's something we have to clean up."
 
Sunday's scheduled games were canceled due to rain. They will not be rescheduled.
 
TICKETS: For individual-game and season tickets, please call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE. The Montagne Center ticket office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. The ticket window at the LU Softball Complex will open one hour prior to first pitch on game days. LU students receive free admission to home games with their Cardinal One card, while Junior Cardinal Club members are admitted for free when they present their membership badge.