BEAUMONT, Texas - Lamar University (27-23) stranded six runners in the last three innings, but it couldn't overcome an early three-run deficit to Sam Houston (25-23) before falling 3-2 Tuesday at the LU Softball Complex. Tuesday was the 2025 home finale and Lamar finished the year with 16 wins, the most since 2017.
Gracee Hess recorded a season-high three doubles to lead LU.
Trinity Brandon (hit) and
Makenzie Wright (hit) each drove in a run while
Veronica Harrison,Â
Cala Wilson, and
Ava Blakely tallied a hit apiece.
Sabrina Jolin was tagged for the loss after a third of an inning, but
Mallory Pitre (2.2 IP, two hits, 4 Ks) and
Madison Guidry (4.0 IP, two hits) kept the Bearkats scoreless over the final 6.2 innings.
Jolin struck out one batter, but SHSU took a 3-0 lead after the first inning. The Bearkats looked to break the game open in their third by loading the bases before Pitre struck out pinch hitter Hallie Day to end the threat. Hess got LU's first hit of the game with a one-out double to left in the Cardinal third but remained stranded on base.
After leaving two runners on in the bottom of the fourth, the Cardinals scored twice in their fifth on a sacrifice fly by Brandon and a single from Wright to close within one. A two-out walk to
Rose Gonzales and Hess' third double in the sixth brought
Jayne Sepulveda up, but she lined out to first to end the inning.
Harrison and Brandon led off the bottom of the seventh with singles to put the winning runs on base and nobody out. The next three Cardinal hitters went down consecutively, giving the Bearkats a narrow 3-2 win.
Big Red heads out west to face UIW for the final Southland Conference series and a chance to finish fourth in the conference tournament picture. LU will open the series Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m, while Sunday's finale starts at noon.
Â
