Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 HOUSTON, Texas – Reagan Smith and Ava Prejean each went the distance Friday as Lamar University swept the doubleheader from Houston Christian, 4-1 and 6-1, to clinch its first 30-win season since 2017. Big Red has climbed into a tie for fourth with UIW in the Southland Conference standings after the latter dropped two games to Southeastern Louisiana.

All but one of the Cardinals in the starting lineup recorded a hit in game one as Roxy Thompson led with a game-high two hits. Isabella Flores (HR), Gracee Hess, and Sicily Windham each drove in a run. Smith won her 12^th game in the circle and was three outs from a complete-game shutout, allowing seven hits and fanning four batters.

Hess had a three-hit performance in game two, while Cimara-lei Wessling, Makenzie Wright (RBI) and Riley Whitley (2B) each totaled two hits. Prejean allowed one run on seven hits while throwing 83 pitches to earn her fifth win of the season.
 
Game 1: LU 4, Houston Christian 1
 
LU broke out to a 3-0 lead after two innings as Flores hit a solo homer in the first and delivered a sacrifice fly in the second, while Hess added a third run with a single. In the fifth, Windham made it 4-0 after singling in Wessling.
 
Smith was in cruise control for three innings, but had to retire three straight batters in the fourth after putting the first two Huskies on base. HCU broke the shutout in the seventh with an RBI single and had the tying run come to bat with nobody out. Following a sac bunt to move the runners, LU ended the game on a double play from right fielder Kinlee McGuire to catcher Makenzie Wright.
 
 
Game 2: LU 6, Houston Christian 1
 
HCU loaded the bases in its half of the first but managed to score one run. The Cardinals took the lead in the third with two runs, all with two outs, as Thompson scored on a wild pitch while Ariel Flores reached on a fielder's choice to score Hess.
 
LU added four runs over the final four innings, which included an RBI groundout from Wright and a double by Whitley in the fourth and an RBI single from Windham while Wright scored off an HCU miscue in the sixth.
 
Prejean stranded the tying run on base in HCU's half of the third inning, but would allow one hit over the final four innings. She also received help from her defense, which collected three double plays, including two started by Windham at short.
 
LU goes for the series sweep Saturday in the last regular season game before the conference tournament. The first pitch will be delivered at noon.