BEAUMONT, Texas – It all came together for Tanner Driskill on Thursday in his final appearance in a Lamar University uniform; the senior led the Cardinals (17-36, 11-17 SLC) to a 12-5 win over their rivals, McNeese State University (25-29, 15-13 SLC), in Vincent-Beck Stadium.

"We had a pretty good night offensively," said head coach Will Davis. "From a professional standpoint I think we've beaten the best three pitchers in the conference, which is crazy because of the way our season has gone. Aaron Hernandez from Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Bryan Warzek from the University of New Orleans, and now Grant Anderson tonight all have a good chance to get drafted in June. We swung it really well and we had good at-bats all night. It was great to see. We had offensive conditions and Tanner battled and battled and battled tonight. He held them and did a great job of keeping them down. There was no better way than to send him out with a win in his final collegiate game."

Driskill got off to a hot start in the top of the first by sitting down the Cowboys in order, collecting his 110th strikeout along the way. Big Red's bats responded with an offensive explosion in the bottom of the inning with four runs on seven hits. Avery George led off with a double to center and came home on a single from Cole Girouard through the right side. Philip Ingram singled Girouard to third after a wild pitch placed him on second, and though Ingram was picked off in the next at-bat, Cole Coker singled up the middle with two outs to bring Girouard home. A single from Logan LeJeune kept the inning going, and an RBI single from Chase Kemp and an RBI double from Grant DeVore scored the third and fourth runs of the inning. After one in Beaumont Lamar led 4-0.
 
McNeese scratched back into the game in the top of the second and top of the third. A one-out single and a one-out double in second put the score at 4-1 in favor of Lamar, and three hits and an error tied the game at four runs apiece before a lineout to DeVore turned into a double play. The Cardinal bats brought two runs home in the bottom of the third and LU never trailed in the game.
 
Robin Adames got the first of his three hits on the day as the lead-off batter in the third. He doubled to left field and reached third on a single from Coker. A single from LeJeune advanced both runners by a single base to score Adames and place Coker on second, and a single from DeVore with one out brought Coker home. George singled with two outs to load the bases, but a flyout ended the Cardinal threat. After three Lamar led 6-4.
 
McNeese tagged Driskill for one more run in the top of the fourth inning on a lead-off solo shot to left, but Driskill held the Cowboys scoreless for the next three innings, allowing just two base runners through the second out of the seventh inning. After earning his 113th strikeout Driskill was relieved by Jack Dallas in the top of the seventh with two outs and a runner on first. Dallas forced a 4-3 grounder to end the inning.
 
While Driskill, Dallas, and Garrett Walker wrangled the Cowboy bats and shut out McNeese the final five innings of the game, Lamar continued to put its foot on the gas. After Ingram singled with two outs in the bottom of the sixth Adames brought Ingram and himself home on a homer to left field, giving Lamar an 8-5 lead through six innings. That two-run moonshot marked the 18th career homer for the junior from The Bronx, N.Y., and his fifth this year.
 
Lamar's final offensive output came in the bottom of the seventh. LeJeune was walked to open the inning and brought home by a double from Kemp. A single from DeVore put runners on the corners, and a one-out single from George scored Kemp and DeVore. A bunt sac from Girouard pushed George to second, and after Ingram was walked with two outs Adames brought both home on a double to left. Lamar led 12-5 after seven and would hold that margin to the end of the game.
 
Game 2 of the series between the Cardinals and Cowboys is scheduled for a 6 p.m. first pitch on Friday with southpaw Noah Sills (3-5, 3.18 ERA) scheduled to face RHP Cayne Ueckert (4-2, 4.31 ERA). Post-game fireworks are expected as a part of Lamar's Faith and Family Night.