BEAUMONT, Texas — Tab Tracy delivered the go-ahead RBI single to right center which proved to be the game winner as the Lamar University Cardinals came from behind to defeat the Oakland University Golden Grizzlies, 9-7, in Game 2 on Saturday afternoon at Vincent-Beck Stadium.

In Game 1, Chris Olivier tossed a masterpiece with 14 strikeouts to help the Cardinals notch an 8-2 win.
Olivier retired 19 in a row and struck out every leadoff batter he faced as he took a perfect game into the top of the seventh.

He finished three strikeouts shy of tying the single game program record of 17 set by Clay Hensley in 2002.

Olivier tied the third highest strikeout total in a game joining the most recent mark set by Will Hibbs in 2016.

The offense tallied nine hits as Tracy got LU on the board in the bottom of the first with an RBI single through the left side.

Beau Durbin made the score 3-0 with a two RBI double to left center in the second and then Tracy brought in two more runs on another RBI single.

Kevin Duran gave LU a six-run lead with an RBI double to right in the fifth.

Fog entered the area limiting the visibility which suspended play until the next day.

Oakland scored its lone two runs in the top half of the eighth on a two-run home run by Aidan Orr.

The Cardinals pushed across two more runs in the bottom of the eighth as A.J. Taylor scored on a wild pitch and Braden Benton hit an RBI single to left.

GAME NOTES

• Tracy finished 2 for 3 with two singles, a walk and three RBIs.
• Duran tallied a single and a double to go 2 for 3 with a walk and an RBI.
• Durbin ended up going 1 for 4 with a double, two runs scored and two RBIs.
• Olivier went 6.2 innings allowing one hit while he did not walk a single batter.

 
LU trailed 4-0 heading into the top of the second when Easton Culp brought in Duran on a groundout to short.

The Golden Grizzlies added a run in the top of the third with an RBI single to left by Carter Hain.

Durbin delivered a two-out RBI single up the middle to cut the deficit to three runs in the fourth.

The Cardinals loaded up the bases in the fifth when Tracy reached on a fielding error by the third baseman and Benton and Reese Beheler hit back-to-back singles.

Tracy scored on a double play grounder to get LU within two runs.

During the seventh inning rally, Balin Valentine hit a first-pitch, one-out double to right center.

Theo Kummer and Diego Alana drew back-to-back walks to load up the bases.

Durbin hit an RBI single through the right side while Brayden Evans was hit by a pitch to bring in a run, cutting the deficit to one which setup Tracy's definitive two RBI single.

The Cardinals added one more run in the eighth when Duran scored on a groundout to short off the bat of Kummer.

GAME NOTES

• The Cardinals tallied 11 hits.
• Durbin finished 2 for 4 with two singles, two walks and two RBIs.
• Beheler had two singles to go 2 for 5.
• Tracy tallied two RBIs to finish 1 for 4 with a single and a walk.
• Evans and Benton each went 1 for 4 with a single, a walk and an RBI.
• Ethan Oceguera picked up the win after one inning of scoreless relief with one strikeout.
• Nathan Darden earned the save after 1.2 scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
• The LU pitching staff combined to strikeout 13 batters.

UP NEXT

The series concludes Sunday with a 12:05 p.m. start time.