Box Score BEAUMONT, Texas – Junior Zach Bravo (1-0) surrendered just one run and scattered four hits over six innings to lead Lamar University to its second-straight win to start the 2021 season. Bravo struck out four batters and only walked one as the Cardinals got their second consecutive quality start, beating Stephen F. Austin, 4-1, Friday evening at Vincent-Beck Stadium.
 
Three Cardinals combined to surrender just five hits while striking out seven batters. Sophomore Braxton Douthit pitched a scoreless 7^th and 8^th while junior Jack Dallas came on to record the save (2).
 
"One of the biggest things we thought coming into this season was the development of Zach Bravo," said LU head coach Will Davis. "He's made a tremendous jump from last year to this year. He pitched great tonight – and very easily could've given up no runs. We played flawless defense behind him. Then Douthit and Dallas did what they did two nights ago."
 
LU didn't have to wait as long as Wednesday's season-opener to get on the board. The Cardinals pushed a run across the board in the home half of the first. The lead remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth when SFA tied the game. The Cardinals answered right back in the bottom of the fifth, and just like Wednesday the answer came with two outs.
 
With runners at first and second, senior Anthony Quirion lined Angelo Gennari's pitch into left field plating Ryan Snell. After a walk and a hit batter, the Cardinals had the bases loaded for Logan LeJeune who recorded a painful RBI. LeJeune took a pitch off the arm – the second Cardinal to be hit in the inning and the sixth of the game – to give LU a two-run lead.
 
After Bravo pitched a scoreless frame in the 6th he was lifted for Douthit who recorded a quick 7^th. In the 8^th, the Lumberjacks were threatening but Douthit picked off Cameron Crawford at first robbing SFA of any thoughts of a rally.
 
"I really feel like we had a lot of bad luck with the line outs, and some hard outs," said Davis. "Not great teams go home with losses when that happens, but the good teams will find a way to overcome that and win. That's what we did tonight.
 
"I really loved our guys standing in there and wearing some pitches, and Zach Bravo took that line drive off his leg he didn't fall down but stayed with it and got the out. It was a bunch of guys competing and wanting to win," adding Bravo.
 
The Cardinals tacked on an insurance run in the 8^th and handed the ball over to Dallas for the ninth. After striking out the first two batters he faced, Dallas got Skylar Black to hit into a fielder's choice to end the game.
 
The Cardinals will be back in action Saturday in the second game of the series against SFA. Saturday's game is slated to begin at 1 p.m. from Vincent-Beck Stadium.