Box Score COMMERCE, Texas – Lamar University used a seven-run fourth inning to battle back from an early 5-2 deficit and stayed on the attack to post a 13-8 victory in game one of a three-game series at East Texas A&M Friday afternoon at the John Cain Family Softball Stadium.
 
The Cardinals pounded out 13 runs on 10 hits to improve to 15-15 overall and 3-4 in Southland Conference play. It could be said that LU hit the lights out, literally, as a city wide power outage hit the Commerce area shortly after the end of the first game forcing the second game of the doubleheader to be moved to Saturday at noon.
 
Mallory Pitre came on in relief and pitched 3.1 innings to pick up her fourth win of the season (4-2), while Kaylee Cuevas pitched the final two innings for her first save.
 
The Cardinals were forced to go deep into their pen using four total pitchers in the opener, but Big Red's offense imposed a similar penalty on East Texas. The Lions used four pitchers – all four surrendered at least two earned runs in the contest and recorded just two strikeouts (as a team). Madison Kloepper got the start and went just one inning allowing two runs on one hit with two walks. ETAMU's Avery Rohlman took the loss facing two batters without recording an out and allowing two earned while Emma Olson was tagged for six runs on six hits with three walks over the game's final four innings.
 
Cala Wilson, Ava Blakely and Roxy Thompson led the offensive charge for the Red and White each recording two hits, while Wilson (2-for-4) drove in five and scored two runs.
 
After the first two innings were in the books, Lamar found itself on the business of a 5-2 score but all that changed in the fourth inning. LU sent 11 batters to the plate scoring seven runs on five hits – including three doubles and a triple.
 
Playing the role of the greedy sibling, Lamar refused to rest on its laurels and went in search of more offense tacking on another run in their half of the fifth. The Lions attempted a rally with three more in the seventh and the pen slammed the door shut in the home half.
 
With the power outage prior to the start of game two, the two teams will now play a doubleheader Saturday with the first game set for noon.