BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University Cardinals look to bounce back from a tough opening weekend in the Southland Conference when they host the Western Kentucky Colonels in a non-conference softball game at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
 
The Cardinals (11-12) were swept at Northwestern State in a three-game SLC series over the weekend. LU coach Holly Bruder hopes Tuesday's game against Eastern Kentucky helps the Cards get ready for this weekend's conference series at Houston Baptist.
 
"This is a good midweek game for us," Bruder said of the contest against the Colonels. "Eastern Kentucky is playing well. We must utilize these opportunities to get better. We have to get back on track."
 
The Cardinals were outscored 18-4 over the weekend as LU went from owning a four-game winning streak to being on a three-game skid. It won't get any easier against Eastern Kentucky (16-5), which has won 10 straight games.
 
"We didn't have one facet of our game show up for the entire weekend," Bruder said. "Our pitching struggled. We didn't get timely hits, and we made some costly errors."

One of the bright spots was designated player Taylor Davis, who ran her streak of reaching base safely to 12 straight games, equaling the team high set earlier this season by Maddy Myers. Davis (.300) is one of four Cardinals hitting .300 or better this season. Savana Guidry leads with a .366 batting average, followed by Shannon Klaus at .327. Myers, who is also hitting .300, leads the Cardinals with a .493 on-base percentage.
 
Eastern Kentucky is led offensively by Paige Murphy, who is hitting .492 with team-leading totals of six home runs, 20 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. The Colonels, who outscored their opponents 52-14 over the weekend while going 5-0 at their own tournament, are hitting .305 this season with 32 home runs in 21 games.
 
 Sophomore right-hander Mollie Paulick (6-1, 1 save, 1.96) is the ace of the Eastern Kentucky staff.
 
"They're playing really well right now," Bruder said of the Colonels. "We have to be ready from the first pitch."
 
ALL-TIME SERIES: Tuesday's game will be just the second-ever meeting between the two programs. LU was a 7-4 winner over Eastern Kentucky on Feb. 8, 2015, at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

UP NEXT: The Cardinals are at Houston Baptist for a doubleheader at 1 p.m. Friday and a single game at noon Saturday before returning home for a five-game homestand. LU hosts Dartmouth in a non-conference doubleheader at 4 p.m. March 20 to open the homestand, followed by a three-game SLC series against Stephen F. Austin on March 23-24.
 
FORECAST: Fans attending Tuesday's game should expect plenty of sunshine, with a temperature of 66 at first pitch. The winds will be out of the northwest at less than 10 mph.
 
PROMOTIONS: Fans can purchase hot dogs and sodas for just $2 each Tuesday, and then work them off with a postgame yoga session. Those planning to attend the free yoga session are asked to bring their own mat or towel.
 
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.