BEAUMONT, Texas – Fresh off their WAC opening series sweep at Stephen F. Austin, the Lamar University Cardinals (11-5/3-0 WAC) will step out of conference play Tuesday when they travel to Natchitoches, La., to take on Northwestern State.
 
The Cardinals enter the week having one seven of their past eight games, which includes sweeps of their past two weekend series. The lone hiccup during that stretch being a non-conference setback at Houston Baptist, who had won three-straight games against nationally ranked opponents.
 
The Cardinals will look to move seven games over .500 when they take the field against their former conference rival.  Northwestern State (6-9) opened the year by taking two of three from Stephen F. Austin, and then traveled to Arlington, Texas, to take the first game of a three-game series against Oklahoma. The Demons nearly won the series, falling in game two, 2-1. But since that time, Northwestern State has fallen on hard times eight of their last 11 games.
 
The victories during that stretch came this past weekend when they swept all three games against Alcorn, 55-5.
 
The series between the two schools dates back to the 1953 season with the two schools splitting the two games – each team won on the others home field. Those were the only two meetings until the 1969 season, and since that time LU has had the upper hand owning a 66-56 (.541) all-time record against the Demons, including a 30-29 mark in Natchitoches.  The two schools split the season series last year, but Demons have won four of the last six games.
 
First pitch for Tuesday's game is set for 6 p.m. from Brown-Stroud Field.