CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – It took a bit longer than normal, but after 10 innings Lamar University (10-26, 6-12 SLC) finally prevailed 9-7 over Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (18-19, 3-12 SLC). The Cardinals outscored the Islanders 32-15 in the season sweep on 39 hits.
 
"Obviously we feel pretty great," said head coach Will Davis. "These kids have been through a lot this year and they've never quit, so to have them experience something fun like this was pretty cool to see. We swung it pretty good, and it looks like we're starting to grow up a little bit. I think Avery George was a bit of a boost for us in this series, and really everyone swung the bat well all weekend. We had offensive conditions all weekend, and when you've got that you have to provide your pitching staff with run support. It was awesome to see our guys do that."
 
Lamar hit the ground running, scoring two runs in the first. Philip Ingram led off with a walk, and singles by Cole Girouard and Robin Adames brought him home. Cole Coker hit into a fielder's choice that struck down Adames but scored Girouard, and through one inning Lamar led 2-0.
 
Neither team scored in the second, and the Cards got back to work in the third with two more runs. Ingram again led off the inning with a walk, and then two-out hitting came up clutch for Big Red. Coker, Logan LeJeune, and Cole Secrest each collected singles, scoring Ingram and Coker, before a strikeout ended the run. Heading into the bottom of the third Lamar led 4-0.
 
A&M-Corpus Christi chipped away at Lamar's lead in the bottom of the third. A lead-off walk advanced to second on a one-out single, then another walk loaded the bases. A sac fly deep into right field scored the lead-off batter before a lineout to short ended the Islander threat. After three innings Lamar led 4-1.
 
A scoreless fourth inning led to another two runs for Lamar in the fifth. Girouard led off with a single through the right side, and when Adames reached on a fielding error by the third baseman Girouard advanced to second. A flyout to left put both Girouard and Adames into scoring position, and a single from LeJeune scored Girouard. A single from Secrest scored Adames and advanced LeJeune, and a bunt from Grant DeVore loaded the bases. Avery George hit into a fielder's choice at home, and a strikeout ended the inning. Blanchard sat down the Islanders in order and Lamar led 6-1 through five innings.
 
The pressure increased somewhat in the bottom of the sixth inning. A lead-off double reached third on a wild pitch, and a two-out single drove him home. Consecutive walks loaded the bases, and what looked like the final out of the inning turned into an error that scored a run. An RBI walk pushed the final Islander run across, and after six innings Lamar led by just two runs, 6-4.
 
Neither team scored in the seventh or eighth as Kristjan Storrie and Cole Carter battled, and in the top of the ninth Adames blasted a solo homer for insurance. That run proved integral to the win as A&M-Corpus Christi came storming back in the bottom of the ninth. The Islanders scored three runs on four walks and two hits, sending the game to extra innings with the score tied 7-7.
 
Secrest and DeVore led off the inning with back-to-back singles, and freshman outfielder Avery George came up big with a double on an 0-2 pitch that scored the winning run for Lamar. A double play struck down McKinney and DeVore, but Ingram singled George home to give Lamar a bit more cushion. Chet Jones relieved Jack Dallas to start the bottom of the 10th and sat the Islanders down in order, earning his first collegiate save.
 
"We made a decision to burn Erickson up, which was tough because I didn't think we were in the position to take one game lightly," said Davis. "We've had such a hard time winning games this year that we wanted to make sure we got that win [on Saturday]. We needed someone to step up in the bullpen and Storrie did to an extent but just ran out of the gas at the end. That was big time by Chet because we needed him to come in and pound the zone on a very tight strike zone from the ump, and that's a hard thing to ask a freshman to do. He really answered the bell."
 
Up next for the Cards is the finale of the non-conference series against Northwestern State. Big Red will play at Northwestern State on April 17, then return home to host Abilene Christian for a three-game Southland Conference series April 20-22.