SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Racking up a season-best nine runs while allowing just one earned run, Lamar University (5-17, 1-6 SLC) won 9-3 at the University of the Incarnate Word (13-11, 3-4 SLC) on Friday.

"The at-bats were great all night," said head coach Will Davis. "It in the first inning with Phil. He had a great at-bat to start the game, and that set the tone for the evening. Robin had a nice RBI hit to get him in and then Chase Kemp beat out a double play ball and it just kind of ballooned from there. Obviously Cole Secrest stepped up really big with some incredibly clutch hits. I can't say enough about the adjustments he made; it was a great night for him."

Lamar got the scoring started early, jumping on UIW for two runs in the top of the first. Big Red led off with a walk to Philip Ingram, and a one-out single from Cole Coker up the middle placed Ingram on second. Robin Adames slashed a single deep into right center field, scoring Ingram and pushing Coker to third. Chase Kemp hit into a fielder's choice that struck down Adames, but Coker scored easily from third, giving the Lamar Cardinals a 2-0 lead. Driskill used just nine pitches in the bottom of the first to keep Incarnate Word scoreless.

"Tanner stepped up when we needed him the most," said Davis. "That's what you ask your senior leader to do. There were a couple of stressful innings, but he held them low and gave our offense a chance. He did a great job, and Marcus and Ryan came in and slammed the door."

Incarnate Word fought back in the second, scoring one run on a lead-off single and a one-out double, and with two outs and runners on the corners in the third UIW tied the game on an error. A single immediately after the error scored a third run for Incarnate, unearned, and gave the San Antonio Cards a 3-2 lead over LU.

But Lamar's Cardinals refused to go down without a fight. Kemp doubled to right center with one out, and with two outs Cole Secrest singled him home, tying the game at 3-3. Driskill used just nine pitches in the fourth to keep the game tied 3-3 through four innings.

As LU's pitching staff continued to hold off UIW, throwing scoreless innings from the fourth through the ninth, Lamar's bats began to heat up. Adames got things started with one out in the sixth, singling through the left side. Kemp advanced Adames to second on a groundout to first, and Adames stole third as Chad Fleischman worked a nine pitch at-bat into a walk. Secrest swung on the first pitch he saw, shooting a line drive just past the outstretched glove of the first basemen. His single scored Adames, giving Lamar a 4-3 lead. Driskill finished off his evening in the bottom of the sixth by collecting his fourth strikeout of the day.

Neither team scored in the seventh, and Big Red struck again in the eighth. Adames led off with a single to left, and reached second when Fleischman again worked a long at-bat into a walk. Secrest fouled off one pitch and hammered the next one to the Moon, scoring three runs. Lamar led 7-3.

Two errors and a balk charged to Incarnate Word in the top of the ninth allowed two more LU Cardinal runs to score, giving Lamar its 9-3 margin of victory.

"We know what we're capable of," concluded Davis. "Our guys are excited to come out tomorrow and try to win a series. If we play like we did today, I think we'll be in good shape."

Southpaw Noah Sills (2-2, 2.22 ERA) will face UIW's Luke Taggart (2-1, 4.97 ERA). First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Incarnate Word's Daniel Sullivan Park.