BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University scored four runs in the fourth inning and utilized a strong bullpen to rally for a 6-3 victory to sweep Stephen F. Austin Sunday afternoon to close out the Western Athletic Conference Opener. After giving up solo runs in the first and third innings, Sunday's game marked the first time all weekend the Cardinals (11-5/3-0 WAC) trailed in the series.
 
Trhea Morse got the start in the series finale but was pulled after giving up two runs in 2.0 innings on four hits. Unfortunately for Morse, the plate was jumping around as he finished with three walks.
 
Morse was one of four pitchers to take the mound for the Red and White Sunday, as LU head coach Will Davis turned things over to sophomore Zack Williams (2-1) in the third, and he restored order. Williams pitched 4.2 innings allowing one earned run (which came in the seventh inning) on two hits with three strikeouts. Adam Davis came on to get the final out of the seventh before Joe Buckendorff pitched two scoreless frames for the save (1).
 
The Lumberjacks started Joe Todd (0-3) who gave up four runs – all earned – on four hits with a walk and three strike outs for the loss.
 
Big Red finished the series off with four hits but took full advantage of those four hits to plate their six runs. The Cardinals were also aided by three SFA errors and four walks.
 
After SFA jumped out to a 2-0 lead with solo runs in the first and third innings, the Cardinals went to work in the fourth. Todd got Chase Kemp to ground out to lead off the inning, but LU responded with three consecutive singles (Reese Durand, Josh Blankenship and Ryan Snell) to plate their first run of the game. Snell's single up the middle scored Durand from third.
 
With two outs in the inning Matthew McDonald reach after getting plunked on an 0-2 pitch to load the bases, and it turned out to be the difference in the game. Three pitches later Ethan Ruiz smashed a bases clearing double into left center to give the Cardinals a 4-2 lead.
 
LU would go on to tack on insurance runs in the eighth and ninth, but the four-run fourth was all the Cardinals would need to record their first WAC series sweep in their very first conference series.
 
The Cardinals will be in Natchitoches, La., Tuesday to face Northwestern State. The game against their former conference foes will begin at 6 p.m. from Brown-Stroud Field.