BEAUMONT, Texas - Leading the second-best team in the Southland Conference through seven innings and coming within inches of tying the game in the ninth, Lamar University (18-36, 9-21 SLC) fell just short of spoiling the weekend for the University of Central Arkansas (29-25, 19-11 SLC), which would've fallen to fourth with the loss. Ultimately UCA escaped with a 4-3 win over the Cards in just over two and a half hours on Saturday.

Starter Ryan Erickson wowed in his final game as a Cardinal and his first collegiate start on the mound, shutting down the Bears for five and two thirds innings. The senior from Lumberton, Texas, faced the minimum in the first and second and didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning. He struck out three while walking none, and he allowed just three hits and one earned run. Grason Wright relieved him and threw two innings of four hit, three run ball with three strikeouts and no walks, and Jack Dallas (0.1 innings) and Noah Sills (1.0 innings) closed out the game with three hits, no runs, no walks, and one strikeout.

Lamar got the scoring started early with back-to-back singles from Avery George and Cole Girouard in the first, and a 6-3 double play from Cole Coker brought George home. JC Correa drew a walk with two outs but a fielder's choice ended the inning. Lamar led 1-0 through the first.

The Cardinal offense would strike again in the bottom of the fourth. Correa would single to left with one out and reached third on a single by Robin Adames, which put his final tally at 252 career hits, second all-time by any LU batter. An RBI single by Logan Berlof scored Correa before a strikeout ended the inning. Lamar led 2-0 through four.

In the top of the sixth the Bears got a single with one out that was struck down by a fielder's choice, and two runners on with a hit-by-pitch. A single with runners on first and second scored one and put another on third before Wright forced a 4-3 grounder to end the inning. The Cards got a lead-off double from Correa in the bottom of the inning but stranded him there, and through six Lamar led 2-1.

Both teams would go down in order in the seventh, and in the eighth UCA's bats came alive. The Bears got five hits including three with two outs to bring three runs home, and threatened to do more before Dallas struck out the final batter of the inning. LU got a two-out walk from Correa but he was stranded on first. Through eight innings Central Arkansas led 4-2.

A great double play in the top of the ninth kept Lamar within striking distance with runners on first and second, and in the bottom of the ninth Adames came within inches of hero status in his final collegiate at-bat. The senior from The Bronx, N.Y., knocked the laces off a ball and sent it careening high into left field. On any other day he would've brought Lamar within one with no outs, but sustained winds of 17 mph blew against the ball just enough to allow the UCA left fielder to catch it at the wall. Berlof tripled in the next at-bat and scored on a sac fly from Reese Durand, but a popup to short ended the rally. UCA escaped with a 4-3 decision over Lamar.

Head coach Will Davis, the rest of the coaching staff, and everyone else at Lamar University Athletics would like to thank the fans for all their support this season and look forward to more support from Cardinal Nation in the 2019-2020 school year. The coaches would also like to thank Ryan Erickson, Jason Blanchard, Noah Sills, Robin Adames, AbeRee Hiebert, Taylor Rich, Austin Smith, and Kristjan Storrie for all their contributions while wearing Cardinal red.

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