BEAUMONT, Texas – Senior Brooks Caple tossed 7.2 innings of scoreless baseball Saturday evening to lead Lamar University to a 4-0 game two victory over UMBC at Vincent-Beck Stadium. Caple allowed just four hits while striking out 11 batters with no walks as the Cardinals improved to 10-4 on the season.
 
Caple was relieved in the eighth walking off the field to a standing ovation after striking out the last two batters he faced.
 
Junior Andres Perez came on in the eighth to pitch the final 1.1. He struck out the first two batters before getting the final two Retrievers on pop up to the catcher and a fly out to left.
 
The Cardinals scored their four runs on six hits led by a River Orsak two-hit game (2-for-4, RBI, run).
 
Lamar used the same plan that led to Friday night's victory – take a first-inning lead then hang a crooked number on the scoreboard late. After the first inning, the Cardinals added a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh.
 
The Cardinals got the scoring started with two two-out doubles – the first by Orsak followed by an RBI double from Zak Skinner.
 
As the game moved to the top of the second the starters took control as both teams hung zeros on the scoreboard until the bottom half of the sixth, including a stretch of 12 in a row sat down by Caple. After the first inning, UMBC didn't see another baserunner until two outs in the fifth.
 
The Retrievers were threatening in their half of the sixth getting the first two runners aboard. After a sacrifice bunt, UMBC had runners at second and third with just one out when the three-hole hitter Anthony Swenda hit a line drive to short which was snagged by Kanin Dodge who turned and threw to second doubling up the baserunner. The play got the Cardinals out of the inning unscathed.
 
Lamar tacked on an insurance run in the sixth and provided some breathing room for the pitching staff with two more in the seventh. The Cardinals loaded the bases with no outs bringing Brayden Evans to the plate. The Pearland, Texas native plated a run on a sacrifice fly to right on a 1-2 pitch to give LU a three-run lead. After UMBC made a pitching change, Orsak closed out the scoring with a single to center driving in Weston Peninger.
 
The Cardinals will now look for the series sweep Sunday when they close things out with a 1 p.m. game from Vincent-Beck Stadium. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN+.