BEAUMONT, Texas – For the first time since March 16, the Lamar University softball team returns to the LU Softball Complex. The Cards host Central Arkansas in a three-game SLC set. The Cards and Bears play a doubleheader on Friday starting at 4 p.m.
 
PROMOTIONS
Friday
-First pitch by Babe Didrikson Zaharias Foundation (Prior to first game)
- 5Point Credit Union Water Bottle Giveaway (while supplies last)
-Jr. Cardinals get in FREE with membership badge
-$1 Hotdogs + $2 Popcorn tubs all season long
 
Saturday
-Post Game autograph session
-Post Game Run the Bases
-Jr. Cardinals get in FREE with membership badge
-$1 Hotdogs + $2 Popcorn tubs all season long
   
ABOUT CENTRAL ARKANSAS
Series Record: 8-10 (19th, 20th, and 21st Meetings)
Last Meeting: April 15, 2018 (7-6, Central Arkansas)
Central Arkansas enters the contest with Lamar coming off a 4-3 loss to Mississippi State on March 26. Prior to the loss, the Bears had won five straight games, including a three-game series sweep of UIW.

At the plate, Central Arkansas is led by Kaylyn Shepherd, who leads the team with a .396 batting average. Shepherd entered the week with the best batting average in the SLC. The Bears have three players with 20 or more RBIs on the season led by Libby Morris with 35 RBIs. Morris leads the team with nine home runs. The Bears have four players batting over .300 on the season.
 
In the circle, Rio Sanchez leads the team with 57.0 innings pitched on the season. Opponents are hitting .268 off her. She leads the team with five wins on the season and has an ERA of 2.82. Six different Bears have a win on the season.
As a team, the Bears are hitting .300 with 22 home runs and 50 doubles on the season. They have an on-base percentage of .384 and are 73-for-80 in stolen bases. In the circle, Central Arkansas has a team ERA of 3.84. Opponents are hitting .270 on the season against the Bears with 78 extra base hits.
 
LAST TIME OUT: TEXAS STATE (March 27)
The Lamar University softball team bats were kept quiet by Texas State on Wednesday evening. The Bobcats limited the Cardinals to four hits in the contest and LU only recorded one hit after the third inning in a 4-1 loss to Texas State.
 
Four different Cards, Shannon Klaus, Jade Lewis, Savana Guidry and Taylor Davis, all picked up one hit in the contest. Lewis pitched 5.1 innings on the night for the Cards as she allowed seven and four runs.
The Cards were outhit by the Bobcats, 9-4, in the contest.

What's Next
The series with UCA, the Cardinals hit the road for nine straight games, starting with a midweek contest at the University of Houston, on Wednesday, April 3rd. First-pitch against the Cougars is set for 6 p.m. from Cougar Softball Stadium.
 
Tickets
For tickets for LU home games, please call 409-880-1715, or CLICK HERE. The Montagne Center ticket office is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. LU students receive free admission to home games with their Cardinal One card.
 
Fans can stay tuned to LamarCardinals.com or @LamarAthletics on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram all season long for updates on women's basketball and all other LU teams competing in the 2018-19 season.