BEAUMONT, Texas – After two non-conference road tournaments to open the season, Lamar University will head to Huntsville for its first midweek contest of the season against Sam Houston Tuesday at the Bearkat Softball Complex. First pitch will be delivered at 6 p.m. and the contest will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
PREVIOUSLY
The Cardinals went 3-1 at the Carl Vincent Insurance Invitational at McNeese. They took one game against Austin Peay (9-1) and swept two against Illinois-Chicago (10-2, 14-5).
 
GRACEE WALKS IT OFF TWICE   
On the first day of the tournament, Gracee Hess played the role of walk-off hero twice. She ended game one against APSU with a walk-off homer in the fifth inning. Later, she singled in the game-ending run in the sixth inning against UIC. 
 
GIVE FLOWERS TO ISABELLA
Isabella Flores finished the four-game tournament hitting .538 (7-of-13) with two doubles and four RBIs. She is the only Cardinal with 10 hits on the season.
 
SEVEN RUN INNINGS = WIN
In all three victories at Lake Charles, the Cardinals scored seven runs in one inning. On Friday, the Cardinals scored seven in the fourth inning of both games, while Saturday saw a seven-run fifth inning.
 
MALLORY PITRE = GOVERNOR OF ILLINOIS
Mallory Pitre earned two wins during the tournament against the Flames. She pitched seven innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits while striking out three batters for a 1.29 ERA. Pitre has won three games against teams from Illinois and has a 1.02 ERA. 
 
OPPONENT INFO: Sam Houston
Time: Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Series Record: SHSU leads, 22-10
Last Meeting: SHSU, 3-2 (4/22/25)
 
ABOUT THE BEARKATS
The Bearkats went 4-1 in the Mardi Gras Mambo to extend their record to 7-3. Bella Perez leads SHSU with a .462 batting average, four homers and nine RBIs, while Sophia Lundstrom is first in hits (13) and runs scored (11). SHSU records a 2.57 ERA with 53 strikeouts in the circle. Amy Abke has won two games and leads the team in strikeouts with 19, while Tiffany Sanchez has 12 strikeouts. 
 

UP NEXT
The Cardinals make their third trip to Louisiana, where they will compete in UL Monroe's Best of the Bayou Tournament this weekend. LU will open against Arkansas-Pine Bluff Friday at noon before spending Saturday and Sunday playing Northern Iowa (Feb. 21 – 12:30 p.m., Feb. 22 – 11 a.m.) and the Warhawks (Feb. 21 – 5:30 p.m.).