BEAUMONT, Texas - Returning to the friendly confines of Vincent-Beck Stadium for a quick one-game, non-conference homestand, Lamar University (7-12) will host Southern University (11-8) on Tuesday. The Cardinals have won the last five meetings between the two schools and hold an 8-1 record all-time over the Jaguars.

Tuesday
-$2 General Admission Tickets
-Jr. Cardinals get in FREE with membership badge
-$1 Hotdogs + $2 Popcorn tubs all season long

THE LAST TIME OUT - AT McNEESE

On-and-off rain and a lightning delay of an hour factored into the first game of the Battle of the Border on Friday night. Lamar faced the minimum through four innings but couldn't keep the offense of McNeese State University off the scoreboard. Two Cowboy homers and four Cardinal errors proved the difference in a 6-1 decision in favor of McNeese.

Thanks to a 3-for-4 day by Cole Girouard that included his first career home run and a shutdown performance from the Cardinal pitching staff, Lamar took down McNeese in extras. Big Red won 2-1 over the Cowboys in 11 innings on Saturday.

Though Lamar jumped out on archrival McNeese early on Sunday, a two-run error proved costly to the Cards. Big Red fell 6-4 to the Cowboys in the finale of the Battle Of the Border.

Southern University

Starters:
RHP Jack Dallas (0-2, 5.59 ERA) vs. RHP Eli Finney (1-0, 7.98 ERA)

Series Record
All-Time Series: Lamar leads 8-1
At Vincent-Beck Stadium: Lamar leads 5-1
At Lee Hines Field: Lamar leads 3-0
At Neutral Site: N/A
Will Davis vs. Southern: 2-0
Kerrick Jackson vs. Lamar: 0-1
Last Meeting: April 25, 2018 (Lamar wins 14-12)

Southern is 11-8 this year in a resurgent season for head coach Kerrick Jackson, now in his second season at the helm. The Jaguars have wins over fellow Southland Conference member Northwestern State, Eastern Illinois, and several SWAC schools, holding a 5-1 record in conference play.

Southern boasts a potent offense that is averaging 6.2 runs a game, third in the SWAC, largely due to its league-leading 16 home runs this season. The Jags have 173 total hits in 2019 and a .275 batting average, both in the Top 3 of the SWAC, and their 75 walks this year are fifth in the league. Pitching also ranks near the top of the SWAC with a 6.07 ERA, the fourth-lowest in the conference, and an average of 6.6 strikeouts per nine innings, the fifth best in the SWAC.

Javeyan Williams (second in the SWAC, .379) and Tyler LaPorte (fifth in the SWAC, .367) are among the best bats in a heavy-hitting Southern lineup. Williams has 10 stolen bases this year and leads his team in runs per game (1.06), and sac bunts (three). LaPorte has 26 RBIs, the most in the SWAC, on 29 hits, the third-most in the conference.

Eli Finney is slated to start against Jack Dallas on Tuesday. Finney is 1-0 this year in four appearances with a 7.98 ERA. He has nine strikeouts to five walks and 19 hits. 13 of his 19 runs allowed have been earned.

Lamar Quick Hits

• Cole Girouard, fresh off a 4-of-9 performance at McNeese this weekend, apparently loves to play against teams from Louisiana. He has a career .353 batting average against Louisiana teams with 24 hits, including five doubles and a homer. One of his best games came at Southern in 2018 with a 5-of-7 day with four runs scored and three RBIs.
• Avery George continues to get hits and get on base. The sophomore from Humble, Texas, now has a 29-game reached-base streak going, just one game away from tying the record set by Stijn van der Meer in 2016. His 18-game hit streak is currently tied for the sixth-longest hit streak in program history with Reid Russell, also set in 2016.
• Robin Adames needs just 41 hits to capture the Lamar career hits record. He has 47 games (including Tuesday) to get there.