BEAUMONT, Texas - Starting the Louisiana leg of its nine-game road trip, Lamar University (14-26) will head east Tuesday for another mid-week, non-conference Top 25 matchup. The Cardinals will play at #13 Louisiana State University (26-15) in Baton Rouge, La., at 6:30 p.m.

THE LAST TIME OUT - AT ACU - APRIL 18-20

Despite outscoring ACU 22-13 over the weekend and out-hitting the Wildcats 36-21, Lamar was able to capture only the second of three games against Abilene Christian this past weekend. The Cards dominated the Cats in every statistical category but bad timing and a few errors unraveled the series.

A big fourth inning was the difference Thursday in the first game between Lamar and Abilene Christian. The Wildcats took a 6-4 decision over the Cards with a three-run fourth.

An offensive explosion and a dominant pitching performance carried Lamar to an impressive win Friday in its second game at ACU. The Cardinals won 13-1 over the Wildcats.

Attempting to overcome three unearned runs surrendered to ACU on Saturday, LU fought back in the ninth and put the winning run at the plate. The Cardinals put the ball in play but came up just short, falling 6-5 to the Wildcats in the series finale.

UP NEXT - AT LSU - APRIL 23

Probable Starters (Based on Assumptions by the SID):

Tuesday: RHP Jack Dallas (0-4, 6.04 ERA) vs. RHP Landon Marceaux (1-2, 8.41 ERA)

Series Record
All-Time Series: LSU leads 7-6
At Vincent-Beck Stadium: Lamar leads 3-0
At Alex Box Stadium at Skip Bertman Field: LSU leads 6-2
At Neutral Site: Tied 1-1
Last 10 Years: LSU leads 6-1
Will Davis vs. LSU: 0-2
Paul Mainieri vs. Lamar: 6-1
Last Meeting: April 24, 2018 (LSU wins 8-0 at LSU)

Paul Mainieri has been a fixture in the LSU dugout since 2007 and for good reason. The Tigers' skipper has 1,441 wins in his career including a 577-244-3 mark in his 13th season at LSU. He's 223-15-3 in SEC play and won the 2009 NCAA Championship. The Tigers have finished with a winning record each season under Mainieri and are well on their way to another stellar season in 2019 with a current mark of 26-15, including an 11-7 record against SEC opponents. LSU ranks 13th in the D1 Baseball Top 25 poll and 19th in RPI.

LSU has wins over Southeastern Louisiana (6-5 on Feb. 19) and Nicholls (5-4 in 10 innings on Mar. 20) this year but also faltered at Northwestern State (lost 3-1 on Mar. 12) and at home against McNeese (lost 2-0 on Mar. 26). The Tigers have been up and down this year with a win over then #11 Georgia, a series win over then #2 Mississippi State, and series wins over #14 Texas A&M and Florida but lost their series at Missouri and were swept at then #19 Texas.

Offensively the Tigers rank fifth in the SEC and 37th nation-wide with an average of 7.0 runs per game. LSU has 382 hits this season (sixth in the SEC) including 66 doubles, seven triples, and 36 home runs. The pitching staff has a 4.42 ERA, 11th-best in the SEC, and averages 8.7 strikeouts per game, 13th in the conference. Its 2.14 strikeout-to-walk ratio is 14th in the league.

Josh Smith leads his team and the SEC in runs scored and ranks eighth in the nation with 51 this year, averaging 1.28 runs a game. He's stolen 12 bases this year and paces the Tigers in hits with 53, hitting at a .349 clip with a .533 SLUG and a .456 OBP. Zach Watson has the best batting average at .352 and has 50 hits. Antoine Duplantis leads the team in RBIs with 44 and is tied with Daniel Cabrera for the team lead in homers with seven apiece.

Tuesday's Tiger starter is Landon Marceaux who is 1-2 this year in seven appearances including six starts. He's worked an 8.41 ERA through 20.1 innings of work with 21 hits, 19 runs (all earned), 11 walks, and 18 strikeouts. He's given up four doubles and two homers and has a .266 opposing batting average, has been two batters, and has three wild pitches this year. He went five innings in his first two appearances but has since then lasted no more than three innings an appearance.

Lamar Quick Hits

• Logan Berlof has been Lamar's best bat in the last 10 games. He has 15 of his 34 hits on the year in the last 10 games and is hitting at a .429 clip. He's scored 10 runs and driven in another eight during that time with three walks, two hits-by-pitch, two homers, and five strikeouts.
   
• Robin Adames needs just 17 more hits to capture the LU career record. He has 240 entering Tuesday's game. He also needs just 44 RBIs for the career RBI record and 14 more homers for the career home run record.
   
• JC Correa has wowed at short and at the plate. The junior transfer from Alvin Community College has a .315 batting average, third on the team among qualifying batters, and leads the team in RBIs with 29. In his last 10 games he has seven RBIs with 17 hits. He's homered five times this year and has reached base 18 games in a row.
   
• Avery George is fourth in the Southland Conference and 66th in the NCAA this year with 55 hits so far. He was riding a 20-game hit streak from Feb. 16 through March 22 and tied the school record for the reached-base streak at 32 games, and had a 13-game hitting streak snapped at Texas on April 16 and has reached base 17 games in a row.
   
• Jason Blanchard has been lights out in his last three starts. He's held a 3.20 ERA through 19.2 innings with just 18 hits allowed and has struck out 18 while walking five. One of his best performances of the year came at ACU on April 19 when he threw 107 pitches in seven innings, tying his career-best with eight strikeouts. He allowed just three hits while walking two and his lone earned run came on a fly ball that rode the wind and turned into a solo homer.

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