BEAUMONT, Texas — Behind a well-rounded collective effort, the Lamar University Cardinals notched their first conference win, 9-3, over Stephen F. Austin, to even up the series Saturday night at Vincent-Beck Stadium.

Eerily similar to Game 1, the Lumberjacks started the second game with a 2-0 lead after they scored on an RBI double to right center and a sacrifice fly in the top of the third.

The Cardinals retaliated with three runs on four hits in the bottom half of the frame.

Zak Skinner, Tab Tracy and Matt Ryan delivered three straight singles to start things off. Damian Ruiz then drew a bases loaded walk.

Reese Beheler drove in a run on an infield RBI single to second and then Heladio Moreno worked the count to draw another walk with the bases loaded to make the score 3-2.

The floodgates opened in the bottom of the fourth as LU rallied for five runs.

LU's first three batters reached base as Skinner walked, Tracy hit a single to right and then Ryan was hit by pitch.

Ruiz delivered an RBI single to right and then Brayden Evans hit a long single off the right field wall to plate home two runs.

Zane Spinn made the score 7-2 with an RBI single through the right side. Moreno finished off the rally by driving in a run with a sacrifice fly to right.

The Cards got their final run of the night off the bat of Beheler as he crushed a leadoff solo home run in the sixth.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Ruiz finished 1 for 4 with a single, a walk and two RBIs to extend his hitting streak to 15 games.
• Beheler went 2 for 4 with a single, home run, a walk and two RBIs.
• Beheler is riding a five-game hitting streak, going 8 for 16 during the span with six singles, a double, home run and three RBIs.
• Evans was walked twice to go 1 for 4 with the single and two RBIs. Evans has five RBIs in his last three games.
• Tracy had a pair of singles to go 2 for 3 with a walk. 
• Skinner finished 1 for 3 with a single, a walk and two runs scored.
• Ryan scored twice to go 1 for 1 with a bunt single. He was hit by pitch twice.
• Moreno finished with two RBIs.
• Carter Sutton started the game, throwing four innings with three strikeouts.
• Peyton Havard improved to 2-1 after he threw a three-hitter in five innings of work with seven strikeouts.

UP NEXT
The series concludes with Game 3 at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 9.