BEAUMONT, Texas - Lamar University junior pitcher Reagan Smith pitched a complete-game shutout Saturday to secure the Cardinals first series win over Battle of the Border rival McNeese. The Cardinals defeated McNeese, 4-0, in the series finale at the LU Softball Complex to improve to 13-10 overall and 2-1 in Southland play. The Cardinals out scored their rivals 16-6 in the three games.
 
Since the fourth inning of Friday's series opener, Big Red's pitching staff held the Cowgirls (13-11, 1-2 SLC) scoreless for 17-straight innings to end the series.
 
Jayne Sepulveda drove in two RBIs on two hits to lead the Cardinals. Cala Wilson finished her series hitting .636 (7-of-11) with two hits and an RBI. Smith allowed just five hits in the circle while striking out four batters to claim her third win of the season.
 
After retiring the first two batters of the game, Smith had to get out of a jam and stranded two Cowgirl runners in scoring position. Harrison drew a two-out walk in the bottom of the first and would come in to score on a triple by Wilson. One inning later, the Cardinals loaded the bases, but scored once on a sac fly to center from Sepulveda to lead 2-0.
 
The Cowgirls threatened in the top of the fourth before catcher Raigan Brannon made a brilliant catch at the backstop to keep McNeese off the board. Lamar pushed the lead to 4-0 following a sacrifice fly by Gracee Hess in the fourth to score Makayla Valle and a single by Sepulveda (in the sixth) to bring home Kalie Amos.
 
Smith kept the bats silent in the fifth and sixth innings before running into trouble in the seventh with runners in scoring position. McNeese's last chance to score ended with a pop fly to Trinity Brandon for the final out of the series.

The Cardinals will complete their five-game set at home Wednesday when they host Big 12 foe Baylor. The first pitch is scheduled to be thrown at 5 p.m.