BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University dropped a doubleheader to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Friday evening at Vincent-Beck Stadium – the first games for the Cardinals in two weeks after having all four games at Sam Houston cancelled last week due to positive COVID test results on the SHSU squad. The Cardinals lost the first game, 6-0, and dropped an 11-7 decision in the second game.
 
The Cardinals struggled to find their rhythm offensively in the first game picking up just three hits – all singles. A&M-Corpus Christi's John Gaddis pitched 7.0 scoreless innings for his fourth win of the season. The Islanders scored two in the first and added four more in the sixth for the victory.
 
Braxton Douthit got the start for LU and went four strong innings surrendering two runs (both earned) on two hits while striking out five (with no walks) but took the loss. Although LU didn't walk a batter in game, the Cardinals were victimized by four hit batters.
 
The two teams switched roles in the second game as LU jumped on the board with three runs in the first for freshman Josh Ekness. After consecutive hits to lead off the inning, and with a run in, senior Anthony Quirion cleared the bases with a home run off the batter's eye in center field.
 
Despite the early run support, Ekness didn't make it out of the third. He left after 2.2 innings surrendering two earned runs on two hits, with five strikeouts but also walked five batters.
 
The Cardinals went to Dylan Johnson in relief and the Splendora, Texas native got the Cardinals out of an inning that saw A&M-Corpus Christi score two runs without the benefit of a hit. The Islanders took advantage of three walks and three wild pitches to trim the LU lead down to two, 4-2.
 
Undaunted, the Cardinals answered right back in the home half of the third with another run to push the lead back to two. Again, the Cardinals turned to Quirion for the offense. After junior Avery George led off the inning with a double, and moved to third on a ground to second, Quirion drove him home on shot through the left side for the 5-2 lead.
 
The back-and-forth attack continued as the Islanders fought back with two more in the top half of the fourth, but LU again responded in the home half. With one out in the inning, sophomore Reese Durand homered to right field – his first of the season – to take back a two run lead.
 
Unfortunately, Johnson ran into trouble in the fifth as the Islanders scored four runs on four hits. A&M-Corpus Christi took a two-run lead, 8-6, and tacked on one more in the sixth and two more in the seventh. The Cardinals scratched out a final run in the bottom of the 9^th for the final score.
 
Three Cardinals finished game two with three players recording multiple hits. Ben MacNaughton went 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI (MacNaughton also tacked on a hit in the first game), while Quirion was 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBIs. George finished the second game with a 2-for-5 effort with two runs scored and one batted in.
 
The two teams return to Vincent-Beck Stadium Saturday for the third game of the series. First pitch is slated from 1 p.m.