BEAUMONT, Texas – Lamar University got home runs from Luke Bumpus (1) and Ryan Snell (6 and 7) and pounded out 15 hits to defeat UC Riverside, 15-3, Saturday afternoon at Vincent-Beck Stadium to take the series.
 
As a team, the Cardinals went 15-for-39 (.385) at the plate with 10 different players recording hits, including multi-hit games from Luke Bumpus (3-for-4, 1 home run, 4 RBIs and 3 runs), Kevin Bermudez (2-for-4, 2 runs), Ryan Snell (2-for-4, 2 home runs, 6 RBIs, and 2 runs) and Josh Blankenship (2-for-5, 2 runs).
 
Trhea Morse (1-0) got the victory after pitching 3.1 innings of relief. Morse shutdown the Highlanders who got out to a quick start by allowing no runs on just one hit with a walk and three strike outs.
 
Morse came on in relief of Jeremy Rivera who pitched 2.2 innings but surrendered three runs – two earned – on six hits.
 
The Cards' bullpen was electric shutting down UC Riverside who started the game by scoring three through the first three innings but never threatened after that.
 
The Highlanders started Eric Marrujo (2-1) who held Lamar scoreless through two innings but ran into trouble in the third. He took the loss after allowing five earned runs on five hits with just one strikeout in 2.1 innings. Marrujo took the loss after surrendering all five of his runs in the third.
 
After the Highlanders jumped out to a 3-0 lead, Big Red returned fire striking for five runs on four hits in the home half of the third to claim their first lead of the day. The Cardinals got their first two batters on after River Orsak got hit by a pitch followed by an Ethan Ruiz single. After being sacrificed over to second and third, Bumpus got the Cardinals on the scoreboard with a two-run single up the middle. Two batters later, the Cardinals had runners at the corner for Ryan Snell who crushed his league leading sixth home run of the season over the left field wall.
 
After giving up a leadoff single, Morse got the next three Highlanders in order to hang a zero on the scoreboard and followed suit by sitting the Highlanders down in order in their half of the fifth.
 
Big Red was back on the attack in the home half of the fifth when they plated four runs on three hits and took advantage of three Highlander errors. Kanin Dodge led off the inning with a walk and Bumpus drove him home with his first home run of the season.
 
Two batters later, the Cardinals were on the attack with two outs in the inning. Blankenship got an infield hit and then advanced to second on an error. Kirkland Banks moved Blankenship to third after singling to third. After a stolen base got runners on second and third, Tanner Wilson came up and hit a ball to the second baseman that was misplayed allowing two more runners to score.
 
With the Cardinals in front, 9-3, the bullpen continued to hang zeros on the board as the Cardinals struck for three more in the sixth, one in the seventh and two more in the eighth for the final score.
 
The Cardinals will go for the series sweep Sunday when they return for game three against Riverside. Sunday's first pitch has been moved up to a noon start from Vincent-Beck Stadium.