LAKE CHARLES, La. — The 216th edition of the Battle of the Border came down to the wire.

With one out and the score tied at 7-7 in the 10th inning, the Lamar University Cardinals loaded up the bases on two straight walks and a single to right by Zak Skinner.

Zane Spinn then hit a sacrifice fly to left to drive in pinch runner Aiden Baumann, which proved to be the game winner.

Austin Neal got a strikeout to end McNeese's hopes for a rally, helping the Cards notch an 8-7 win Friday night at Joe Miller Ballpark.

The Cards have won four of their last five meetings against the Cowboys.

Damian Ruiz led off the top of the first with a single that dropped into shallow center. Brayden Evans followed up with a single as Ruiz hustled to third.

Ruiz then scored on a wild pitch. Zane Spinn later extended the lead to 2-0 with a sacrifice fly to left.

The Cardinals got their leadoff man aboard in the top of the second as Bryce Grizzaffi drew a walk after a seven-pitch at bat.

Tab Tracy reached with a one-out single and then Ruiz drove in a run with a double to left to make the score 3-0.

The Cowboys got a run back in the bottom of the third with a solo home run.

LU answered in the top of the fourth with an RBI double down the right field line by Evans.

The pendulum swung back to McNeese as it cut the deficit to one run with a two-run home run in the bottom half of the fourth.

LU extended its lead to 7-3 in the top of the fifth as two runs scored off a pair of errors while Tracy brought in Grizzaffi with a groundout to first.

McNeese scored a run in the fifth and two in the sixth to come back to within one run.

The game was evened up at 7-7 in the bottom eighth when the Cowboys pushed across a run on a sacrifice fly to center. The inning ended with a double play where Grizzaffi made a diving catch on a pop up in foul territory and he later gunned down the running trying to take second base.

BY THE NUMBERS

• LU had 13 hits while McNeese tallied 14.
• The Cardinal pitching staff finished with 11 strikeouts.
• Ruiz finished 2 for 5 with a single, double, a walk and an RBI. He extended his on base streak to 19 games.
• Evans extended his hitting streak to seven games by going 2 for 4 with a single, double, two walks and an RBI.
• Spinn had two RBIs to go 1 for 3 with a single and a walk.
• Heladio Moreno tallied two singles to go 2 for 6.
• Matt Ryan went 2 for 5 with two singles.
• Grizzaffi was walked twice to finish 1 for 3 with a single.
• Tracy extended his hitting streak to five games after going 2 for 5 with two singles and an RBI.
• Riely Hunsaker started the game, throwing four innings with five strikeouts.
• Peyton Havard struck out three batters in 3.1 innings of relief.
• Neal earned his first win after throwing 2.2 innings with three strikeouts.

UP NEXT

The Cards take on the Cowboys for Game 2 at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 15. The game will not be livestreamed on ESPN+. Radio will be available through KLVI AM 560.